


Crossing Paths

by Ink_and_Coffee



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, Star Wars: Jedi: Fallen Order (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-11
Updated: 2020-08-29
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:27:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 22,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24664594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ink_and_Coffee/pseuds/Ink_and_Coffee
Summary: After defeating the First Order, the Resistance crew start to pick up the pieces of a broken galaxy. A vision sends Rey, Poe, Finn and Rose to the planet Bogano to discover a decreed text written by the Jedi Cal Kestis.Summary Note: Alternative events that break from the cannon timeline. Namely, Reylo was never a thing. Kylo Ren became Palpatine's loyal apprentice and in this timeline, Rey defeated both of them. It's not a huge part of the plot, but it does alter relationships forged by TROS.
Relationships: Finn/Rose Tico, Poe Dameron/Rey
Comments: 19
Kudos: 81





	1. The Light of Hope in the Galaxy

**Author's Note:**

> This first chapter is the formal goodbye to honor our beloved Princess and General, Leia Organa.

Rey could never get used to being surrounded by so much green, no matter how many planets she visited or how many times she walked through the forests of Ajan Kloss. Her eyes could never drink in enough of the vibrant color. This planet teemed with life, it’s vibrant energy flowing to the depths of its waters and woven in the wind that caused the leaves and plants to sway. If she listened closely, the woman could hear the patter of hooves on soil, the beating of insects wings and even the final breaths of prey succumbing to a predator. Ajan Kloss had a melody of its own, always rising and falling with perfect harmony.  
No wonder Leia loved it here.  
_Leia _.__

____

____

It had been only a day since Rey returned from Tatooine. Only two days since she defeated her grandfather and the man he called his apprentice. Since the Rebellion left the First Order in shambles, with no leadership and far fewer ships than they’d arrived with. But the Rebellion, well they’d gained...everything. But they had also lost so much, and only now that the celebrations had died down was their losses felt so deeply.  


Despite her eyes being closed, Rey could feel the tears welling and threatening to overflow. She lifted a palm from her thigh and swiped it across her face once, hoping to catch herself before she couldn’t hold back the dam any longer. She knew her mediation was futile. Her concentration was lacking. But she couldn’t be with the others just yet. Rey didn’t know if she could handle it. If she could handle today.  


“Be with me.” Rey whispered, her voice shaking against her will. And she waited, waited and waited. A slight breeze caressed the back of her neck, tossing her loose hairs, but it was empty. Her mentor, the woman she accidentally called Mum on occasion, Leia wasn’t there.  


_Is she ignoring me? _Rey flitted away the thought immediately, bile rising in her throat at the notion, at her own selfishness. The general deserved the rest more than anyone ever deserved to rest in their own lives. That woman had done so much despite losing so much. Now was her time to be at peace, and Rey knew that regardless of how much it hurt.  
__

__“I miss you.” the young Jedi whispered, allowing her words to catch on the wind and dissipate. She opened her eyes.  
_ _

__Ajan Kloss was still. The entire planet silent, as if it were holding its breath. The ferns scattered about her were eerily statuesque as if they were frozen in time before her very eyes. The only movement Rey could sense were footsteps against the soil, heading in her direction.  
_ _

__Rey stood, quick to swipe at her eyes and clear her face before Finn came into view. The man walked with a steady pace, probably from his conditioning all of those years as a trooper. Sometimes, Rey would notice that he would catch himself in the rhythm and actively misstep, sometimes even shuffle, to disrupt the march of his own footfalls. Rey watched him approach, knowing exactly where he was going though his eyes were trained on the ground. She could feel his energy radiating as he grew closer, that same familiar emptiness she felt in her own blood.  
_ _

__Finn reached the clearing, his deep brown eyes meeting her own. He brought a fist to his lips and cleared his throat. “It’s time.”  
_ _

__Rey stole a deep breath and felt the cloth wrapped about her tighten as her chest expanded. A single nod and she was at his side. Finn shoved his hands back into the worn leather jacket pockets and turned to head back toward the Resistance base.  
_ _

__The two walked in silence, only the sound of their footsteps creating any indication that the world wasn’t void of sound. Even the birds in the forest canopies had stopped chirping, as if the entire planet knew that in a few minutes they would hold a memorial for their beloved general.  
_ _

__Finn was warm beside her. Rey could feel the heat radiating from beneath his layers, his emotions like waves crashing through the force. Each wave building, like a tsunami gaining strength ready to tear into the shore.  
_ _

“Finn.” Rey grabbed his shoulder, turning him to face her in the forest. The man’s eyes met hers only for a second before he pulled his chin toward the ground. He coughed again, holding the sound in his throat.  


“I don’t know how to do this.” he said, his shoulders beginning to shake beneath Rey’s hand. “I don’t know how to be a co-General. I don’t know how to--” his hands circling in the air. “I don’t know any of this. But she did. And now she’s gone.”  


Rey swallowed the lump collecting in her throat. So, she wasn’t the only one having these thoughts. Though she hadn’t taken on a title, like Poe and Finn, Rey knew there was an expectation to uphold as she was mentored by Leia. Even trained in the force with her at times. The uncertainty, the expectations, all of it felt like a crushing weight. And just like for Rey, this was all new for Finn, knowing now they were the ones who would lead. Especially since realizing he was force-sensitive.  


Rey pulled her friend toward her and wrapped her arms around him. She closed her eyes.  


Rey had never planned to become a Jedi. Yet here she was, trained by the Rebellion General and greatest Jedi in the galaxy. And Finn had never planned to be anything but a stormtrooper, not that he had much of a choice in the matter until he met the self-proclaimed best pilot in the galaxy. Rey hated to think what the First Order would’ve made of him had they realized he was a force user.  


_Train him _. The words tore into the forefront of her mind, they didn’t even feel like hers. She exhaled heavily. Could she even do that? Was she even trained enough herself to do that? Rey shook her head as Finn stepped back to collect himself.  
__

Now was not the time. She would have to think about this later. The two of them would have to talk about this later. But not now. Now was for Leia.  
  


Poe stared down at the scribbled note cards, the words he’d written the night before not registering in his mind now. How was he going to do this? Poe didn’t know if there was an answer for that, except to do it. That’s what the General would’ve done. Poe shook his head. That’s what Leia would’ve done.  


And she’d done it a thousand times.  


Poe could recall the many instances he stood around with the Resistance members, sometimes ranging into a hundred, but often ranging less than half that. But each time, Leia stood stoic, an image of grace, grit and hope at the front of the group, rendering her words into a belief that they could do whatever they had set out to do. But today she wouldn’t be here standing beside him. Or standing on the outskirts of the group as he delivered a plan as she had these last few weeks. Poe knew what she was doing, and was grateful that she was doing it. After all these years, 

Leia had made him a leader. He’d just never imagined doing it without her.  


He could hear the crowd gathering outside of the Falcon. He looked one more time at his note cards from where he sat in the ship’s cockpit, stood and promptly threw them in the garbage can in the corner before exiting the ship.  


_Notes be damned _.  
__

__The General never needed notes for these types of things. She spoke from the heart. Poe intended to do the same.  
_ _

__Poe Dameron exited the ship with his jaw set, head held high and his breath caught in his chest. But he lost that breath the moment he took in the view before him. Hundreds had collected outside of the Falcon. Resistance pilots in their uniforms, familiar faces that Poe had seen in passing as they rushed in between missions, some that he’d only seen since the arrival of a thrown together fleet of people who held hope for a better galaxy and helped defeat the First Order just two days ago. Beings of all species from all over the galaxy had come to say their final goodbye to the Princess. To the leader of the Rebellion.  
_ _

__On the ground below, Lando was busying himself arranging the flowers just so as the others gathered toward the Falcon and stood patiently waiting. Leia would’ve loved these, Poe thought as he descended from the ramp and walked to the small semi-circle where a wave of flora of every color imaginable created a display that surrounded a holophoto of the late General. Poe reached out and placed a hand on Lando’s shoulder.  
_ _

__“It’s beautiful.” he said and Lando straightened and placed his own hand atop Dameron’s.  
_ _

__“For her, nothing less.” the elder man offered a shaky smile before dismissing himself with a nod to join the ranks of the crowd.  
_ _

__Poe looked at the sea of people before him. Chewy to his left with a large paw placed over his heart. Commander Connix toward the center with tears already streaming down her pale face. Finn held the Commander’s hand and Rose’s in the other, his eyes already wet with tears. And beside the mechanic stood Rey, the hood of her robe draped lightly atop her slightly bowed head and Poe allowed himself to hold her gaze for a long moment, a source of light among the grief. Dameron lifted his gaze above the crowd and latched his hands in front of him as he took in the setting sun. He exhaled a final time as the silence held them.  
_ _

__“Leia Organa was and will always be the light of hope in the galaxy,” he began._ _


	2. Where do we go from here?

People grieve in different ways. For some, they celebrate the life that was rather than what was lost. Others required solitude and darkness, maybe the comfort of a well padded cot and maybe someone to share it with. But Poe found himself among the people he knew he could rely on best, passing a bottle around in a circle, sometimes sharing stories and other times just sharing silence.  


It’d been hours since sundown, but not one of them had any inclination to be alone yet. Being alone would mean that the day was really over, that Leia was truly gone.  


Poe lifted the large brown bottle to his lips and pulled, the welcomed bitter liquid coating the back of his throat. He wiped at his chin with the sleeve of his shirt and passed it to his right where Finn sat beside him on the Falcon’s padded bench. The inside of the Falcon felt oddly warm, but maybe that was the liquor talking. Chewy hadn’t joined them and Poe knew that being on the Falcon was probably too much for the Wookie to handle at the moment. So while they were missing an essential part of their team, Poe was still grateful for his current company, despite the quiet. Connix was slowly spinning herself around in a swiveling chair she’d rolled in from a storage closet while Rey and Rose took to sitting on the ground, Rose’s head in Rey’s lap.  


The mechanic held out her hand and flexed it toward Finn, demanding the alcohol from him. “Slow down, lady.” Finn leaned over and pressed the glass to her palm.  


“Shut it.” Rose scrunched up her nose in response before taking a swig.  


“Generals?” a voice echoed from the ship’s belly, followed by unsure footsteps.  


“In here.” Finn hollered from the lounge bay.  


“Oh.” a man stopped in the doorway, taking in the group before him. Poe recognized the freckled face in uniform as Commander Fursley.  


“What is it?” Finn said from behind the hologram board.  


“We were hoping to hold a briefing to discuss tomorrow’s rendevouz--”  


“Commander, give it a rest.” Poe’s voice was sharp, but he didn’t care. For one night-this night-the galaxy could pause. They’d earned that much. He exhaled his frustration and pushed a rough, calloused hand through his curls. “We’ll meet in the morning. Tell Zapher to get some sleep.”  


Commander Furlsey straightened, the surprise shining in his eyes. “Yes, General.” he said and immediately retreated from the ship.  


An airy chuckle escaped from Finn’s lips and the man heartily slapped Poe’s thigh. “Good call, General.” Finn’s words were a little slurred.  


Poe smirked and retrieved the bottle from Connix. “Thank you, General.”

  


Rey emerged from her bunk from a restless sleep, though she couldn’t quite remember how she’d gotten there. The Jedi had made a habit of sleeping onboard the ship, the only place she found that she could catch that elusive slumber though her fellow Resistance fighters had offered her some of their best cots and tents.  


_Are we still Resistance fighters _?  
__

__Rey wasn’t sure what name they would take on now that they had defeated the oppressive regime that was Palpatine, Kylo Ren and the First Order.  
_ _

__The mere thought of her grandfather and his twisted apprentice caused bile to rise in Rey’s throat and she fought to swallow it down. The liquor from the night before didn’t make that any more pleasant. It was certainly taking a toll on her temples.  
_ _

__Outside of the Falcon there was quiet movement. A few commercial ships were saying their goodbyes to the resistance and returning home after a few days of serious highs and lows. Other seasoned fighters were diligently packing and organizing materials or hardware and busying themselves with smalltalk between friends. The question on everyone’s mind was not lost on Rey, because it was brimming at the edge of her thoughts.  
_ _

__What do they do now?  
_ _

__Only two people would have the answer to that, and Rey was sure she was late to that briefing meeting. She hurried down the Falcon’s ramp, nodding good morning to those she passed on her way to the tactical room in the center of the base.  
_ _

__Sure enough, the two generals were already hovering around a holotable, accompanied by Commander Fursley, Commander Connix and pilot Zapher.  
_ _

__“The rendezvous is to supply medical equipment to Umbara. Why would you need fighter support?” Connix addressed the other commander and the pilot. The woman held her hands behind her back, her blonde hair a perfect halo of braids. The pit in Rey’s stomach grew a little deeper; the woman in uniform mirroring the late general in so many ways.  
_ _

__“Just because we defeated the First Order’s leaders doesn’t mean the galaxy is automatically safe. We need to be weary of sympathizers, or someone in ranks rising to try and rebuild with brute force.” Furlsey said evenly, that surprise from the night before completely vanished. His tone was all business.  
_ _

__Rey joined them, noting Rose’s absence. Finn offered a quick smile as she stood beside him then turned back to the Commanders. “Furlsey’s right.” he said and rested his palms on the table. Poe was rubbing his face with both hands and Rey couldn’t be sure if the man had granted himself sleep the night before.  
_ _

__“This battle may have been won, but that doesn’t mean our work is finished.” the former trooper continued. “Ranks will have been restored by now and I’m sure they're looking for any chance to retaliate, to prove they still have a fist clutching the galaxy.”  
_ _

__Poe nodded along, itching at the stubble growing down his cheeks and lining his chin. “Furlsey, ready the relief team.” He turned to the stout pilot. “We’ll have two from Blue Squadron accompany you.” Commander Fursley and Zapher thanked them and hurried from the tent.  
_ _

__“You’re right.” Rey agreed. “This isn’t over yet.”_ _

__  
_ _

Connix dismissed herself from the briefing, leaving Finn with the two people his whole crazy life had truly begun with. He could feel a tension within each of them, Poe’s from lack of rest and weight of responsibility and Rey’s from...well he couldn’t really place hers. Though out of everyone on base, he could read his best friend better than anyone else and she was battling an internal conversation all her own. He made note to ask her about it later. The only person he was missing was that mechanic who kissed him so long ago on Crait, and so many times after that.  


Finn spread out his arms and pulled in his friends by their shoulders. Poe patted him on the back heartily and the three stood in silence for a moment, watching the holomap displayed before them rotate planets in slow orbit. “So.” he said, “Where do we go from here?”  


Poe pulled away and began pulling up different coordinates on the datapad, allowing different holo screens to appear before them and went about organizing them in different rows or clusters. He clearly had some semblance of an idea and Finn knew together they could create a solid plan with all they had before them. The question was, where to start?

  


“Where do we go from here?” the question echoed in Rey’s ears, but she was elsewhere. Her body on Ajan Kloss but her mind...images of a distant planet formed at the edges of her thoughts until it was like she was standing on the deserted planet, alone. Green grass, taller and wispier than that on Ajan Kloss, moved only by furry creatures scattering and diving into burrows and tunnels dug into the rich soil. White cement structures dispersed among the many layers of the planet, the echo of long dead troopers echoing against the stone caverns. A mud trail leading to a tall stone structure covered in thick moss and vines. A man’s voice and the beeping of a droid echoed in her ears as calloused hands wrapped a bound text in hide and placed it in the center of a round room. Footsteps disturbing the water that pooled inside as the man with red hair left between the narrow stone hall. The force whispering against the high ceiling, echoing through Rey’s mind from lightyears away.  


_Bogano _.__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're going to Bogano!  
> I'm excited to try and blend these two narrative ideas of mine and I hope that you stick around for the ride!  
> Please feel free to leave any comments and I hope you're looking forward to the next chapter :)


	3. Be Patient. She Knows What She's Doing.

“Rey?” Poe was close enough to see the freckles dotting across her nose, a few spreading to just below her eyes. She was staring at him. No, not at him, _through _him. Finn balanced her, an arm dipping below and into her armpit to steady her weight against his. When Finn called to get his attention, concern soaking his name, Poe spun immediately on his heel and centered himself before her. They’d been through this before, the three of them. And each time was as unpredictable as the last. Sometimes her visions were less alarming than others. Poe grounded himself, leaning slightly to keep his gaze level with hers. Man, her eyes were beautiful. Hazel with flecks of gold shining against streaks of green. Slowly he brought a hand to her face, cupping her soft skin against his palm.  
__

__Her reaction was immediate.  
_ _

__Rey lurched, sucking in air as if she’d just broken the surface from swimming deep in the ocean. She stumbled backward over her feet and Finn had to catch himself in order to steady both of them upright. “Hey, hey.”  
_ _

__“Rey. What’s going on?” Poe asked, his voice low and smooth as not to startle her. He could just see her teeth behind her parted lips as she inhaled and exhaled, grounding herself back to reality. After a few moments she nodded at Finn who carefully removed himself from her and Rey darted directly to the holomap, clearing everything from the projection. “Hey!” Poe said, stepping to her side. “Those are-”  
_ _

__“Bogano.” Rey said as the planet materialized before them. She turned to look at Poe, then Finn. An excited smile opened up her face, the light reaching her eyes. “We’re going to Bogano.”_ _

__  
_ _

“Woman, get down from there already!” Rose heard Finn call from below. She turned to see him, one hand shielding his gaze from the sun as he looked up to where she had climbed the Falcon to repair a few cosmetic scuffs. Rose couldn’t have the Falcon looking like a trash heap, not on her watch. “We’re about to leave!”  


“Calm down, silly. R2 wouldn’t let you start the engines with me up here.” Rose smiled as the droid traversed the soft ground toward the Falcon’s boarding ramp. He beeped a snide expression. “R2!” Rose tossed a stray bolt and it bounced from his metal dome with a satisfying thunk.  


Rose scurried down until she was standing on top of the cockpit’s arm. “Catch me?” She didn’t wait for Finn’s answer.  


“You’re damned crazy.” the General muttered once she landed safely in his arms and he let her down gently. Rose planted a kiss on his cheek and followed her favorite astromech droid into the Millenium Falcon. 

  
  


Chewy let out a loud bark from behind, startling Poe as he entered the coordinates to a planet he’d never heard of. “Yeah, yeah. I’m in your seat.” the man stood, pressed a final few buttons and stepped away from the Wookiee’s rightful chair.  


“I never get to pilot this thing.” he murmured and stood behind the two chairs manning the panel, earning a muffled chuckle from Rey in the pilot’s seat. His hands were restless, he could even feel them twitching a little as the Falcon rose higher into the atmosphere until Ajan Kloss was just a blue green orb against the black backdrop of space.  


Poe had to give it to Han Solo. The Falcon was a damn smooth ride.  


Once the streaks of stars coated the cockpit’s glass panel, Poe tapped on the back of the pilot’s chair and headed toward the lounge bay with Rey following behind, leaving Chewy to monitor their travel. The four droids were each in low power mode against the technical station, and Poe was grateful to not have to listen to one of C3P0’s many grand tales as if Poe hadn’t actually been there for plenty of them. That droid talked too much for his liking.  


“Hey, buddy!” Poe called into the metal hull of the ship. “Get Rose and meet us here!” Poe took his usual seat around the holotable while Rey opted to sit on top of the technical station. Finn joined his co-General.  


“Rose should be here in a second.” Finn said. “She’s checking the Torplex.”  


“Correction.” the mechanic followed in just behind him. “Fixing the Torplex. It’s a miracle this hunk of junk is still flying.”  


“Whoa!”  


“Hey!”  


“Watch it!” the three hollered in unison and Rose held her hands up in surrender.  


“Sorry, sorry. It’s a miracle this _luxurious transport _is still flying.” Rose settled down next to Finn, Poe catching the woman’s hand resting comfortably on Finn’s thigh. Not that Rose or Finn gave any indication this was something out of the ordinary.__

_New to me _. Rey either didn’t see the affection between the mechanic and her best friend, or didn’t seem to think anything of it. Was Poe the only one out of the loop here? He ran a hand through his curls and sat up. Just another thing to talk about during that elusive "later".  
_ _

__

__

___“So there’s a temple-”  
_ _ _

___“A Jedi temple.” Rey corrected.  
_ _ _

___“So there’s a Jedi temple on Bogano. And we need to get there because…” Poe paused, inviting Rey to continue. He watched as the woman lowered her eyes, a sheepish expression painting her face.  
_ _ _

___“There’s a book hidden inside the temple that I need to find.” she offered.  
_ _ _

___“A book.” Rose said flatly.  
_ _ _

___If Leia had taught Poe anything it was patience, and to trust his gut. And whatever Rey saw, he trusted her to follow it through for the Resistance. “Does this book give us anything we can use?”  
_ _ _

_Be patient. She knows what she’s doing _. Poe could almost hear Leia’s voice with his own ears when Rey’s face turned from sheepish to near embarrassment. “I don’t know.” she admitted and hopped down from her perch, the tails of her beige cloth that she wrapped around her body floating behind her. Poe watched as she straightened, a new confidence guiding her voice. “But the force showed it to me, now of all times. I have to find that book. I believe it can help us.”  
__

___Poe leaned back and folded his palms against the back of his head. If anyone knew what to do in this moment, he was glad it was the woman standing before him. Sitting beside him, Finn looked convinced, but Rose was always the skeptic. “Let’s hope so.”_ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who left Kudo's just two chapters in!!  
> I'm excited to see where this story takes us and our crew. 
> 
> Please feel free to leave a comment :)  
> Thanks for reading!


	4. They've been long dead, then.

From a distance, Bogano looked similar to Ajan Kloss, blue oceans dotted with evergreen landmasses coated by wispy white clouds. But as Rey and Chewy descended the Falcon and landed it on a wide patch of grass, Finn knew this planet was very different. He could feel it.  


“You three, stay with Chewy and the ship.” Poe instructed R2, C3P0 and their newest addition, D-0. “BB, you’re with us.”  


“Absolutely, sir. We’ll assist Master Chewbacca with repairs.” C3P0 nodded his golden skull.  


“O-Okay.” D-0 chimed in from behind R2.  


Beside Finn, Rose knelt next to the astromech droid giving specific instructions regarding something called an Anti-Concussion Field Generator, whatever that was. Rose’s mind was like a library, full of technical manuals and stories. Sometimes he envied the sheer logic she held while Finn was highly emotional. Maybe that’s why they balanced each other out so well.  


Rey had already parted from the ship, standing at a cliff and while Poe checked comm’s with Chewy and Rose finished directing the droids on exactly what they needed to tend to on the ship, Finn joined his friend on the edge of the green plain.  


Beyond where they landed, Finn could see that Bogano’s terrain wasn’t exactly even. Some areas dipped into large mud puddles while others broke off completely to grass and stoned lined trenches below. In the far distance, metal pipes and worn machinery could be seen poking out of the ground just before the tops of white stone buildings emerged. More than anything, Finn was taken by the sheer energy of the planet. He wasn’t accustomed to the heightened sense, the tingling of every nerve of his body, the warmth on his skin as if Bogano was embracing him. Finn had never felt this way before. Usually it was like a hum or a whisper that flitted through him, usually when he was around Rey. But once he stepped foot on Bogano, he could immediately tell the difference. The force was strong here, and Finn could feel it.  


“It’s like this place is,” he paused, unsure of the right words.  


Rey turned to look at him, gentle understanding in her gaze, “I know.” 

  


Rey led the way, having seen the temple far off in the distance when she chose a landing site. She would’ve liked to have landed closer, gotten into the temple and retrieved that book, but she welcomed the walk with friends. Her limbs needed the exercise and she was grateful for the fresh air and clear skies. Though, traversing Bogano was easier said than done. The four had to cross pipes like tightropes and climb vines to reach higher structures or to get through desolate buildings. At one point, Rey even lifted her friends over a large gap, planting them gently in the grass before jumping over the trench to join them. BB-8 did not enjoy being used for levitation practice.  


“Calm down.” Rey patted the droids swiveling head. “I wouldn’t have dropped you.”  


Bogano nearly vibrated beneath her boots, the energy swelling down to it’s core and it only grew as they continued North. Though it’s green plains were beautiful, they’d already passed areas of destruction left to the sands of time. Well, more like mud on this planet. Skeleton’s of creatures she’d never seen picked clean here and there. Discarded blasters rusted or buried.  


“Kriff.” Poe muttered a little ahead of them and Rey watched as he crouched down. As they approached, Rey understood his sentiment immediately. Empty stormtrooper uniforms littered the stretch of grass before them. The white sheen no longer visible under the layers of dirt, but their helmets were unmistakable.  


“I thought this place was deserted.” Rose said and the skin between her eyebrows creased. She pulled a data pad from her pack that hung at her hip. A green burst of light scanned the uniform in front of them, but Rey stepped a little further ahead, assessing a chestplate with a clear gaping hole punctured through it. Poe joined at her side and she watched as his thick eyebrows furrowed together beneath the loose curls toppling down his forehead. His hair looked so soft against his hard, concentrated expression.  


“Too big to be a blaster.” he ran a finger over the rough edge of the point of injury.  


She clutched at the hilt of her saber hanging at her hip and brought it before her. Her saber, the one she built when she said goodbye to the two she borrowed when she arrived to Tatooine, shone a brilliant blue. It’s hilt was sleek, made from parts she’d collected over time for this very project. The top was her favorite, right where the blade erupted was a piece from the Falcon, a thick silver ring that dislodged itself when she repaired the ship’s gun well one late evening.  


She carefully turned it in her palm and slid the weapon perfectly through the wound of the uniform. The General’s deep brown eyes rose to meet hers, “Oh.”  


“Records indicate Bogano was abandoned during the early years of The Empire.” Rose reported from behind her datapad. “Records indicate the order was placed 14 years before the Battle of Yavin: _Retreat in pursuit of a Mantis Stinger ship _.”  
__

__“They’ve been long dead, then.” Finn said from beside her, the swing of his foot colliding with the white bucket, sending the helmet flying far into the distance. Rey and Poe couldn’t help but chuckle at the satisfied smirk on their friends face._ _

__  
_ _

The temple was massive. A stone jutting from the top of a hill like a giant’s throne, decorated with moss crawling up either spike of the structure and disappearing into the clean cut rings that hugged around it’s wide middle.  


“It’s beautiful.” Rey said beside Poe, her chin rising higher to see the stone peaks disappear into the clouds. Beautiful wasn’t the word he would use, more like ancient, but Poe could tell that this temple meant more to someone who actually could call themselves a Jedi.  


General didn’t mean much here on this empty planet.  


Leading to the temple was a steep incline coated in thick, dark mud. Rey poked the toe of her boat into it, making sure it wasn’t a deceptive layer with a pit hiding underneath. Poe watched as she turned to face the three of them. “Wait here.” she instructed.  


“You’re going alone?” Rose asked, nearly drowning out Poe’s “You’re not going alone.” protest.  


“When I saw the vision, I only saw the man with red hair and a droid and the book.” Rey argued. “Besides, Rose said earlier, this place is clearly abandoned and if we’d run into trouble it would’ve happened already.”  


Poe chewed at the inside of his cheek. He didn’t like this idea.  


“Comm’s open.” Finn nodded at the woman and Rey quickly maneuvered the muddy incline with ease until she disappeared behind large boulders leading toward the center of the temple.  


_Were all Jedi’s this stubborn _? Poe wondered and quickly realized the only other forced-trained person he actually knew well enough to compare was Leia. And that woman could be as stubborn as a damn bantha.  
__

__“She’ll be alright.” Finn slapped a palm on Poe’s shoulder.  
_ _

__“I know.” Poe said, maybe a little too quickly, too defensively. Finn raised an eyebrow, but before he could get in an unwelcomed quip the silence of Bogano was suddenly interrupted.  
_ _

__“Finn!”_ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I loved the temple on Bogano and writing about it makes me want to replay Fallen Order!  
> I hope you enjoyed chapter 4 and are looking forward to chapter 5 :)
> 
> Just a heads up, this story is turning into a slowwww burn. At least, slower than I intended! I hope that doesn't throw anyone off!  
> Thanks for reading!


	5. You need two.

She made climbing that incline look so kriffing easy.  


Poe, Rose and Finn on the other hand struggled to reach the top without getting at least a boot caught in the mud, or slipping at least once. BB-8 beeped in concerned fits when he couldn’t get more than a few feet without his ball shaped body being completely coated and useless against the hil. When they reached the top where the stone structure created a room beneath the stone pillars that reached toward the sky, Rose could see her friend with a hand pressed against the stone wall in the center, panic in her eyes.  


“I can’t-” the young Jedi looked between where her palm was seemingly stuck against the smooth stone and back toward her friends. Poe was immediately at her side, trying to pry her hand loose to no avail. Surrounding her hand was two thinly lined circles, each glowing a fluorescent blue.  


Rose stepped closer. “What is that?”  


Rey nodded to where she was connected to the temple. “He must have sealed it when he left. There was a hand etched here and I thought that’s how I had to open it.”  


To their right, just a few feet away, Finn’s voice broke their panic. That smooth, confident tone that Rose loved so much. “You’re right, Rey.” he said. “But you need two.”  


Finn pressed his right palm against a second identical marking and closed his eyes.

  


Poe only stepped back when Rose tugged on the rolled up sleeve of his crisp white shirt. Rey nodded at the both of them before she mimicked Finn and closed her eyes as well, a sense of calm coating her features.  


“It was force sealed.” Rose whispered beside him. “By _two _Jedi.”  
__

__“Since when-” Poe started to argue, but the mechanic immediately shushed him, her eyes glued to where Finn stood.  
_ _

__At first nothing. But a moment, a heart beat, then two passed, the Jedi and his co-General each silent, stoic with their hands pressed firmly against the temple. The ground beneath his feet began to shake until the rumble grew and a shift nearly threw him off balance. The mechanic stumbled beside him and Poe reached a hand out to steady her. The ground under their feet turned, the seal opening with a deliberate exhale, as if Bogano had been holding its breath all this time.  
_ _

__Rey opened her eyes, stepped back and looked to the former trooper. Poe could see the smile creep up at the corner of her lips. A knowing glance between the two before Rey turned on her heel to enter the gap that created a dark, declining tunnel. She pressed herself between the stone and disappeared into the temple, Finn following, then Rose.  
_ _

__The General followed suit, his voice lost amongst his thoughts. For a moment that is, “Buddy! When did you-”  
_ _

__“Later!” Finn called back as he squeezed himself out from the stone hall.  
_ _

__Right. Always later.  
_ _

__Poe tried to swallow the bitterness creeping onto his tongue, but it was already soaking his thoughts. First, Rose. Now, when did Finn learn to do _that _? But again, he seemed to be the only one out of the loop. And that feeling gnawed at his chest.___ _

___  
_ _ _

  


Rey pushed her body through the narrow stones, feeling the rigid edges scraping against her palm and against her face until she was free from it’s clutches. Her boots splashed against the water that flooded the stone floor of the wide, circular room.  


This was it. The room in her vision.  


She allowed herself to steal a few moments taking it all in. The dome etched with patterns and symbols she had never seen, not even in the Jedi texts she’d gotten from her former master. Semi-circles gave the impression of entry ways leading deeper into the temple, one directly across from where they had just entered and one on either side to her right and to her left. The room echoed with every footstep from her friends emerging behind her, and Rey stepped forward, breathing it all in.  


This room sang with the force. Every inch of it, even in the water soaking into her boots all the way to the glass window at the top of the dome that let in just enough light to give the temple’s room a golden glow.  


“Whoa.” Poe said breathlessly beside her.  


“Whoa is right.” Finn said to her right.  


The four of them stood silent for a moment, that is until Rose, always the practical one, reminded them of why they were there in the first place. “So where’s the book?”  


_Right. The book _.  
__

__She stepped forward toward the center of the room, where the stone rose just above the water. It seemed to rise and then create a small bowl of a crater, like a burrow or insect hill. As she approached, a tiny handheld metallic piece came into view. Rey knelt to hold it in her palm.  
_ _

__It was only about three inches in length, with a photo lense at the top and a small black button in the center. It looked like an old comm link, but when her thumb pressed against the button, a man with a saber on his hip appeared in holo.  
_ _

__The red haired man from her vision.  
_ _

__The Jedi looked to be middle aged, or maybe that was the slightly sagging skin under his eyes and the scar that traced his jawline. Who was this man? And who was the woman with cropped hair and a cane standing behind him?  
_ _

__“Hello.” the holoprojection spoke, his voice echoing against the rounded ceiling. “If you’ve found this, then I believe you are a Jedi. Or possibly a Sith, in which case you are to leave this temple immediately or face the wrath of those who came before you.”  
_ _

__Rey turned to see her friends standing around her, watching the holo with awe and intensity.  
_ _

__“My name is Cal Kestis and the woman behind me is Cere Junda. If you are here to seek the holocron, it has long been destroyed.” the illuminated Cal raised a hand to reveal a pyramid frame missing broken shards of glass, similar to the one Rey had looked for so desperately just a few weeks before. “But if it is you, the Jedi of many rotations in the future, then I know that is not what you seek, but instead the collection bound within these pages.” Again, the man held up his other hand revealing the book Rey saw in her mind.  
_ _

__“You will know where to find it.” Cal Kestis spoke, his rough voice filled with more emotion now. “I hope that it serves you well. May the force be with you.”_ _

__  
_ _

  


Finn watched as the man in a leather vest and the woman in thick robes disappeared before them, the photo lense shutting off. From where she was crouched on the slightly raised hill in the center of the room, Rey stood slowly and pocketed the device.  


“Rey.” Finn said, nearly a whisper and her bright eyes turned to meet him. “Do you know where it is?”  


“I do now.” She nodded and turned toward the far wall where a large semi-circle was carved into the stone but stopped herself. A small smile crept to her lips. “Come with me.”  


Rose nodded in encouragement, though Finn didn’t really need it. Poe on the other hand looked on as Rey walked slowly through the shallow water, hazy-eyed, unfocused and immediately a pang of guilt touched Finn’s heart. He had a lot of explaining to do. He owed his friend, his partner, that much.  


But that would have to wait until later.  


Finn walked at Rey’s shoulder, his mind seemingly calm despite the revelations he just exposed not only to himself, but to the three closest to him.  


It was true. Finn was a force-user. Sure he had admitted it to himself, to Rey though she seemed to already know and to Jannah before she left with Lando, but even then Finn had a sense of doubt that lingered in his thoughts.  
He was a stormtrooper. Then a deserter and now a General for the rebellion. But also...a Jedi? He wasn’t sure if he deserved that title.  


_Leia _.  
__

__The memory of the former general sprang to his mind, overwhelming every other thought. Leia Organa was a Princess, the heir to Alderaan, the General of the Resistance. A Skywalker. A forced-trained leader.  
_ _

__Only now did Finn understand why she had been so taken with him. So trusting, so understanding.  
_ _

__“Wait!” Finn caught his friend's shoulder before they approached the stone wall. Even now, with his words echoing against the inside of the temple and an audience of two, Finn couldn’t contain the excitement in his voice.  
_ _

__“What is it?” Rey went to say, but Finn was too wired to let her finish.  
_ _

__“Rey, you have to train me.” he made sure to hold her gaze. He was serious and he wanted her to know it. “I need you to train me in the ways of the force.”_ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter!  
> And if you haven't already played Fallen Order, I cannot recommend it enough. The Jedi temple on Bogano is stunning. The entire game is just incredible!  
> Happy reading!


	6. On the Outskirts.

Bogano was even more peaceful at night, especially under the wide expanse of stars. Only the Falcon gave off any dim light as Rey walked down the ramp, two steaming cups of caf in hand.  


She could feel the tension bubbling inside Poe, and she was sure he was going to explode. They’d never been great at communicating more than just mission-based chat, but Rey understood that sometimes it was comforting to just have someone sit next to you in silence.  


Rey lowered herself beside him and let her feet hang off the edge of the cliff. She extended the red mug toward him and he took it with a murmured, “Thank you.”  


The moments of silence spread out to minutes, and Rey allowed herself to think over the pages she was able to skim through in Cal Kestis’s book. The leather binding made it look seriously aged, nearly as old as the texts she collected from Master Luke, but this book was very different. The first half appeared to be a journal of sorts, something she intended to study that night when the others went to sleep and she had time to herself. The second half though was more like a manual, with more than just one handwriting scribbled amongst it’s pages.  


She wanted to read it immediately, to delve into its contents and learn why she was meant to come here and retrieve it from the temple’s cradle. But Rey knew herself, and once she started she would have a hard time tearing herself away from the pages. There was too much work to be done on the Falcon when they returned as the sun was starting to set. So knowing that sleep would evade her tonight, as it did plenty of times, she planned to explore the writings of a Jedi she’d never heard of once no one else was awake.  


“Did you know?” Poe said into the darkness, pulling Rey away from the inside of her own mind.  


She held the warm cup with both hands and brought the bitter drink to her lips. “Yes.” she admitted. “I think before even he did.”  


She couldn’t tell if that answer confused or irritated the General even more. Rey watched as Poe dug his hands through his hair, the curls tightening and then springing back together atop his head. The man really looked like he hadn’t slept in days. Maybe even more than that. In the dark she could just make out the stubble lining his sharp chin and creeping down his neck.  


“Speaking of Finn, I haven’t seen him since after dinner. Did he finish repairing the ramp activator with Chewy?” Rey commented, tearing her eyes away from his tanned skin.  


Before she could even retrieve the book from its hiding spot in the walls of the temple, Finn was asking for training. _Jedi _training. Hesitantly, she agreed though training plans hadn’t actually been made. Maybe once they returned to Ajan Kloss, once things settled a little, Rey would be able to focus. More thoughts for another time.  
__

__She returned the caf to her lips, grateful for it’s warmth.  
_ _

__“Yeah. Saw him talking with Rose.” Poe nodded slightly, a smirk pulling at his lips making the skin around his eyes crease slightly. “Something about his magic hands.”  
_ _

__Rey nearly spit out her caf.  
_ _

__Coughing against the liquid caught in her throat, she couldn’t help but join in with Poe’s infectious laugh. It was rough against the silence of Bogano, if not endearing.  
_ _

__Just as soon as the laughter dissipated into the night sky, Poe’s expression returned to that serious nature Rey was so used to seeing. She had to admit, they had that in common. Life seemed to always give them something to focus on, something more than themselves. Poe, the position he’d been preened for and Rey the role of returning light to the universe. A team, the lot of them, with Finn’s tactical knowledge, Rose’s mechanical strengths, Chewy’s brute aim and Connix’s willingness to take on responsibility and act whenever needed. The past years had been nothing but training and war.  
_ _

__“Did you know about…” Poe weighed his words carefully. “About them?”  
_ _

__“I had a hunch.” Rey admitted again.  
_ _

__The man beside her finished his caf, set the mug down and leaned his head back to look up into the star-studded sky. His voice was low when he finally spoke again. “It can be lonely, being on the outskirts.”  
_ _

__It hurt Rey’s heart in ways she could’ve never imagined._ _

__  
_ _

The escape pods of the Falcon were cramped to say the least, but Rose was grateful for the privacy. The bunks aboard the ship were stacked one on top of another and between Rey sharing the same room with Rose for this trip and Chewy’s snores rattling from the bunk next door, the mechanic was grateful for a place to stow away that at least had some semblance of comfort. 

Beside her, Finn was still sleeping, gentle sighs escaping his parted lips. In the hall outside, she could hear D-0’s stuttered, “S-sleeping.” and Poe’s snarky, “Sure.” followed by BB-8’s request for updates similar to the optic-lense Rose had just supplied the silver and blue astromech droid.  


Rose wasn’t ready for the day to begin. It had only been days since they’d taken down the First Order’s fleet, since she and her friends narrowly escaped and then celebrated their victory back on Ajan Kloss. And then only two days later were they space-born again, flying to a new planet on a new mission. She thought after their initial triumph, they would have more time, time to rebuild, time to plan. Time to celebrate and unwind and enjoy it, rather than settling to enjoy moments in between.  


Immediately, guilt ate at her thoughts.  


_Of course it wasn’t going to be that easy. It never was _. She reminded herself. She’d been in this fight for years while some had been it their whole lives. Others had sacrificed their lives. Her fingers found the charm resting against her neck. It was naive of her to think that the entire galaxy would stop just because they’d defeated their enemy.  
__

__But Rose couldn’t help but wonder, what next? As much as she yearned for that slowness, that slim chance of normalcy, her brain still looked for things to fix, for plans to follow, for enemies to battle.  
_ _

__Beside her, the data pad resting on the escape pod’s floor lit up, an urgent beeping erupting from it’s speaker._ _

__  
_ _

Poe heard the rustling of movement coming from the escape pod and before he could deal with _that conversation _, he hurried to the lounge bay where Rey was pouring over the pages of that book. He’d made sure to remain as quiet as possible as to not disturb the obvious concentration the woman held while her eyes scanned each page carefully.  
__

__Had she even slept? Poe wasn’t sure, so he slid her a brimming mug of caf and Poe turned to greet the Wookiee as Rose and Finn tried to slip out of the escape pod without much attention. The mechanic stopped in the center of the lounge bay, her hair loosely pulled at the nape of her neck, a data pad in hand.  
_ _

__“Poe, you’re going to want to hear this.” Finn commented, and Poe turned, sipping on his own warm drink, not an ounce of care at the smug expression he gave his co-General. Finn tugged at his shirt under his gaze.  
_ _

__“We’re being requested on Coruscant.” the mechanic said, displaying the holo-message in the air above her data pad. “The seal is from the old Galactic Senate.”  
_ _

__Poe felt a wave of nerves spread through his chest, that smirk dropping from his lips. As the co-General of the Rebellion that took down the First Order, he and Finn would be expected to be the faces of the new political uprising. He just didn’t expect it to happen so soon.  
_ _

__“Chewy, set a course for Coruscant.” Finn directed.  
_ _

__“Rey.” Rose said, and then a little louder when the woman at the table didn’t look up. “Rey.”  
_ _

__“Huh?” the Jedi lifted her gaze from the page and rubbed a palm against her eyes. “Oh, good morning.”  
_ _

__“Did you not hear a word I just said?” irritation soaked Rose’s words. “We’re going to Coruscant.”  
_ _

__“Coruscant?”  
_ _

__“And we need to leave now.” Rose ignored her question and Poe knew that Rey would have to be filled in on the way.  
_ _

__The Jedi looked down to the pages opened before her, then back up to her friends waiting expectantly. She rubbed her eyes again and then looked up expectantly at Poe. “Would you mind piloting?” she said.  
_ _

__Ignoring the nerves settling in his mind, an excitement to fly the Falcon outweighed them, regardless of the destination. The General wasn’t sure if he’d heard her right, but he wasn’t going to take the chance of her changing her mind. “Finally!” he exclaimed and rushed toward the cockpit after the Wookiee._ _


	7. The Fate of the Galaxy is in Your Hands

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all! Just a quick note before you begin-remember that Alternate Universe tag?  
> Yeah, this is where we start to see non-cannon characters and such. 
> 
> That's all I'll say until you get to the end :)  
> Happy Reading!

  
  


The pages of Cal Kestis’s book read like a story. How had Rey never heard of this man before? Why had Master Luke never mentioned him or this Cere Junda either?

_When Order 66 occurred, I was just a young apprentice to Master Tapal who died saving me on an escape pod headed to Bracca. That was the last day I interacted with the Force for years and I never truly completed my training. To call myself a Jedi is an honor that I still to this day grapple with. I hope that by reading my journey, you, the Jedi of the future that I see in my visions, will take this into consideration as you build a new order.  
_

_My new Master, Cere Junda and I have put together a guide as the last two Jedi of our own knowledge, one that we hope will assist you in rebuilding what was lost.  
_

_The fate of the galaxy is in your hands, Jedi.  
_

_May the Force be with you _.__

__  
_ _

_As you build a new order _. Rey reread the lines. Was that the purpose of retrieving this book, so that Rey could help build a governing body to protect the galaxy? Or a new order of Jedi? Neither were particularly Rey’s intention, though neither was confronting a past she never wished to know.  
__

__Through his scribbled words and notes added in margins Rey felt a connection to this Cal Kestis, one like she had never felt with anyone before. Not with Kylo Ren through their forged dyad connection, or even on the personal level that strengthened her friendship with Finn. Cal Kestis had been abandoned in an attempt to save him, had been found by a new family and embarked on a journey to restore balance to the galaxy. It was as though Rey was seeing a version of herself from the past, a version of her story through the life of a former Jedi.  
_ _

__She nearly finished the first part of the text by the time they reached Coruscant. She fought the yawns and exhaustion creeping into her bones and joined Finn and Rose at the viewport.  
_ _

__Poe and Chewbacca had gracefully landed upon a wide platform, the team all exiting the ship at once, c3P0 and BB-8 in tow. Though, when Rey placed her boot firmly down, she felt her jaw drop. Coruscant was unlike any other planet she had seen before.  
_ _

__Tall buildings reached toward the atmosphere, some even disappearing into the clouds above. And the buildings didn’t start from the level where they all stood, because over the edge of the platform, Rey looked down into the busy abyss that stretched below. Lanes of air traffic hovered miles above their heads, speeders and ships of all sizes weaving in synchrony in all different directions and the air smelled of motor oil and a sweet scent that she couldn’t quite place. As Rose and Chewy checked in with the droids at the landing podium, Rey turned to look at the men beside her. Finn was taking in every inch of the industrialized planet, but Poe was doing that thing, chewing at the inside of his cheek, a manifestation of his nerves.  
_ _

__“Hey.” she said beside him, placing a hand on his arm. She could feel the heat under his white shirt. His eyes met hers, only fleeting to look at her hand on his bicep, until his attention was torn away from her completely, staring off toward the building they intended to answer._ _

__  
_ _

“Is that?” Finn was at a loss for words.  


A woman robed in white traversed the landing platform and approached the three staring at her in awe. Finn had only heard stories, mostly from the late general, and for a second believed that he was looking directly at the former Senate Chancellor and Resistance founder in the flesh.  


The woman dropped the robe that draped atop her head, exposing long auburn locks that hung past her shoulders. A welcoming smile stretched across her face and reached her shining green eyes. If Finn had to guess, the woman before them was only a decade their senior.  


“Welcome to Coruscant.” she said. “I am Lana Monthma.”  


“Like-” Poe’s voice faltered slightly, but the woman before them only smiled wider.  


“Mon Mothma was my mother.”  


Lana escorted them into the tall structure with a domed top and led them directly to a spacious room some hundred stories up from where the Falcon was parked. Finn had never seen a room so neatly organized, not since leaving the First Order. Lana Mothma’s office looked straight out of a holo-advertisement: a large desk sat before the panoramic window with a chair of deep purple velvet pushed against its edge. In the center of the room was a seating area fit with luxurious chairs, spotless glass tables and trinkets turned just so on their surfaces.  


“My word.” C3P0 crooned. BB-8 beeped in agreement.  


“Please take a seat.” Lana nodded toward the chairs before directing the silver plated service droid that had accompanied them. “T-4, please get us some refreshments.”  


“Right away.” the droid responded then disappeared behind a set of deep wooden doors.  


Finn hadn’t sat in something so comfortable in his life. It’s like the couch he shared with Poe was made of clouds. He could probably fall asleep right then and there. Rose and Rey each took a seat in separate chairs while Chewy scrunched himself into the largest cushioned seat there, his knees nearly pressing to his chest. Their two droids conversed in binary as they overlooked the city through the window.  


When Lana sat down, the kindness was still in her eyes, but her tone was all business. 

  


“Like Coruscant, many planets were able to push out the First Order remnants after your victory. We were lucky enough that many fled before our people could run them out.” Poe didn’t miss the pride coating her words. “We know that not all planets were so lucky. Some still have pockets of the First Order’s commanders and troopers still tightly clutching their societies, but we hope to put an end to this with a new political uprising.”  


“Who is ‘we’?” Rose said to his left.  


“The morning after news broke of the First Order’s defeat, several leading political leaders around the galaxy held an emergency meeting to discuss how to move forward.”  


_Political leaders _? Poe wasn’t convinced. Possibly people who worked with the First Order, who hid while the Resistance fought their fight, until the final rally call that is. He fought the anger boiling in his stomach.  
__

__“We can trust them?” Finn asked.  
_ _

__“These are the people’s leaders. Anyone who fought under the grip of the First Order and some who bargained with them to save their people some dignity.” Lana nodded then she looked between the two Generals, and Poe was certain she could sense his unease. She straightened to hold their gazes. “Not all of us were able to fight the same way.” she reminded them. “But that doesn’t make them any less worthy.”  
_ _

__Poe sighed, appreciating the softness in her expression, the lack of judgement. He looked to Finn beside him, to Rose then Chewy and then to Rey who was watching him with a curious expression. With a final reminder that this was what Leia trained him for, that she believed he could do this, Poe took a deep breath and said, “So where do we begin?”_ _

__  
_ _

Lana laid out the plans she’d already set into action. A meeting with leaders from all over the galaxy was to be held the following morning. Then a formal celebration, broadcasted all over to show solidarity of the various planets in attendance and to mark the beginning of a new political revolution. Finn and Poe the faces of the future and Rey, the Last Jedi that saved them all.  


Rey felt sick.  


Her palms began to sweat as Lana reviewed the details of the formal celebration and the expectations that followed. She’d never had someone speak of her as if she were some savior, some beacon for the galaxy.  


_That’s because they don’t know the whole story _.  
__

__The only people who did were dead and Rey wasn’t sure if she was ready to have that conversation with her friends yet. Her bloodname. Her death. The Jedi’s of the force who brought her back to life to finish the job she set out to do. Her new name. None of them knew it and if they did, Rey wasn’t sure if the truth would fit their narrative.  
_ _

Cal Kestis’s words echoed in her mind.  
_As you build a new order. _  
Is this what he meant?__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, Mon Mothma was not a character I planned on referencing in this fic-especially not through a non-cannon daughter! But I like how this chapter turned out and I hope you did, too :)


	8. Right. The Rest of the Story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a note: this is obviously cannon divergence from TROS. In this chapter, Rey is going to talk about her battle with Palpatine and how she survived even though Palpatine and Kylo did not. 
> 
> Happy Reading!

  


Lana Mothma had arranged for each of them to have private rooms just a few floors below her office. Each room connected through a large seating area fit with a kitchenette and a view that overlooked the expanse of Coruscant. The remainder of the day was spent arranging secure parking for the Falcon, communicating with Connix on Ajan Kloss who was holding down the Resistance crew, contacting people like Lando and Aftab Ackar and finally eating.  


Finn swore that his stomach was a bottomless pit that even this long table lined with platters filled with sizzling meats, luscious fruit and bubbly cocktails could not fill.  


Lana told stories as they ate and listened enthusiastically to plenty of their own. Finn noticed that she took particular interest in the final battle against the First Order, even taking notes as they ate.  


And when Finn asked for an unopened bottle to share with the others later that night, Lana didn’t hesitate and her servant droid brought him an entire selection to choose from.  


Coruscant wasn’t half bad.  


Everyone lazily took themselves to their respective rooms, bellies full and ready for some rest, even though it was only early in the evening. Even Rey couldn’t fight the drooping of her eyes.  


But when Finn woke, rested and dressed in clean clothes provided for him, he wasn’t surprised to find Rey already awake in the large common area. Her feet tucked under her in a cushioned chair, that book they’d uncovered in the temple was open in her hands. She offered him a smile before returning to her page. “Drink?” he said from the counter along the right wall.  


“Please.” she replied from between pages.  


“Hey buddy, pour me a glass!” Poe slapped him on the back. Finn turned to see that his friend had taken a moment to clean himself up. His hair was still damp and his face clean shaven. A short sleeved shirt replaced his usual white button down with sleeves rolled to the elbows and like Finn, Poe was comfortable in loose cloth lounge pants. Even the ladies had taken off their usual utilitarian gear and dawned loose sleeping shirts and pants.  


“Hey!” Finn argued as Rose rounded the counter behind him and took the glass he’d poured for himself and a second for Rey. 

  


“Anything good in that Jedi book a’yours?” Poe settled down in the chair to Rey’s right and seeing that her friends were coming to give her company, Rey replaced the torn bit of paper she used as a page marker and closed the book.  


Before she could answer, she caught sight of Poe and her voice hitched in her throat. Sleep, shower and a razor had treated him well. His smooth skin made him look younger and his curls were tighter, exposing more of his thick brows that hovered above those deep eyes.  


Rey shook her head, pulling herself from her thoughts. “Uh, yeah.” She sat up and accepted the glass of sparkling pink liquid from Rose. “The first half is like a journal, or a memoir of sorts. But the second half, it’s like a manual that he and his master put together.”  


“That woman who was standing behind him in the holo?” Finn asked and Rey nodded.  


“Cere Junda.” she confirmed. “He talks about a new order, but I’ve only just finished the first part and am only a page into the second.”  


“Like a Jedi order?” Finn asked again, this time with an excitement in his eyes and his voice.  


“Or political order.” Rey shrugged, but before she could continue the sound of a door opening behind her caught her attention.  


It was Lana’s droid, T-4, a silver protocol droid with purple photoreceptors and that familiar stoic expression built into the skull. T-4 stepped toward them, offering greetings upon approach. 

“The Wookiee wanted to inform you that he is on level 17, in the casino.”  


“Blasted.” Poe smacked the arm of his chair. “That Wookiee better not lose all our credits.”  


“Or R2.” Rose countered. “Again.”  


“Lady Mothma requires a verification for tomorrow’s ceremonies.” the droid continued. “Names include: Poe Dameron, Finn…” T-4 paused.  


The General lifted his cup to his lips and sipped. “Just Finn.”  


“Very well.” T-4 made note on a data pad before continuing. “Rose Tico. And the Jedi, Rey…”  


_Kriff _.  
__

__Rey inhaled through her nose and closed her eyes. “Rey Skywalker.”_ _

__  
_ _

The room was silent for moments after the droid had left and Poe watched as Rey-Rey Skywalker-turned back in her seat, her jaw set.  


“Skywalker?” Rose whispered, her eyes wide.  


Poe watched as the woman pulled at the hair knotted at the nape of her neck and allowed the brown waves to fall and gently rest on her shoulders. She moved forward to rest the book on the table in front of them before replacing her clasped hands in her lap. Even in the dim light, Poe could see the white of her knuckles as she tensed before speaking.  


“Yes.” she replied. “Skywalker. Like my master’s before me.”  


“Does that mean…” Finn asked the question that was pounding against Poe’s skull. This was finally happening. They were finally going to learn what happened while the rest of them were battling Starkiller’s and defeating the First Order. What Rey was doing on Exegol.  


“No.” Rey shook her head, a floral scent lingering in the air from her freshly washed hair. “I chose that name to replace my own. I am-I was-” Poe watched as her expression turned from nervous to pained and at that moment, he wished the conversation would end just to relieve her of that grief.  


“-a Palpatine.” 

  


It was like all of the air had been sucked out of the room at that moment. Like Rey was confined to the empty vacuum of space and was holding her breath for dear life. It was hard to look at her friends, Poe’s shocked expression and Rose’s wide eyes, but when she looked at Finn, Rey felt a little more at ease.  


His eyes were thoughtful, studying her and she was grateful for the sense of calm radiating from him. Thankful that he was putting her at some sort of ease despite her confession. _A true friend in the force _.  
__

____

____

“Luke and Leia’s father was Darth Vader.” Finn shrugged and took another pull from his drink. “And I don’t even know my parents. So who cares.”  


Immediately, the tension in the room eased, Poe nodding along to Finn’s sentiment. “Skywalker fits you.” the unruly haired general smiled.  


“How did you defeat him?” Rose asked from beside her.  


_Right. The rest of the story _.  
__

_____So she began when she tried to escape it all: with Luke on Ahch-To.  
_ _ _ _ _

___As she recounted the events, her friends filled in the timeline, comparing their own experiences as they prepared for battle. It was like piecing together a puzzle, a story with perspectives that radiated across the galaxy. But when Rey recounted her arrival on Exegol, she felt her voice grow faint.  
_ _ _

___“Ren, he had taken his place as Palpatine’s apprentice. But my grand-” she caught herself. “But Palpatine, he was weak. His body was decaying. And he used that connection between Kylo and I..”  
_ _ _

___Rey wasn’t sure how to describe this part. She was electrocuted within inches of her life? That shell of a Sith drained her of her own power?  
_ _ _

___“He used his powers to harness ours. And I realized that without one of us, Palpatine couldn’t become whole again.” Her friends had gone silent around her, hanging on every word she spoke. Finn’s expression was always easy to read, being the emotional man he was. A thoughtful interest, if not a little bit of sympathy in his eyes. Rose still held that wide-eyed anticipation but Poe...Poe was looking at her as though he wanted to travel back in time and save her.  
_ _ _

___“So I had to, I fought-” she searched for the words, “When I lunged for Palpatine, Kylo intercepted my saber, sacrificing himself for his master.” Rey pulled at her fingers. “It happened so fast. Ren fell. I had ruined the plans to restore the Sith, the rule of two. So he killed me.”_ _ _

___  
_ _ _

Poe couldn’t believe what he was hearing.  


He had to fight the urge to reach out and touch her, to make sure she was real. To make sure she was actually here and that he had just misheard the words she just spoke. But he couldn’t find the motion to do it. Poe felt frozen in place.  


“He killed you?” Finn said and placed his drink down on the table in the middle of them. Poe watched as his co-General leaned forward, rested his elbows on his knees and placed his head in his hands. Finn rubbed at his chin.  


“You’re still here. How is that possible?”  


Rey had that look in her eyes, like she was having a vision and needed Poe and Finn to wait her out of it. To be there to steady her when she came to. He wanted to comfort her that way now. To catch her and console her and make that lost look disappear and wipe the tears brimming in her eyes.  


Rey’s lips were parted slightly, her breath coming out in shallow exhales. “The Jedi.” her words were a whisper.  


“I heard them. Each of their voices calling to me. Luke.” she looked to Poe. “Leia. Jedi I’ve never known, all of them speaking to me through the force. Their words, their energy, brought me back to myself and they helped me to defeat him.”


	9. The First Stepping Stone

Lana Mothma arrived promptly at her guests door the following morning to gather them from their suite and escort them to breakfast and then to the first official meeting among the galaxy's new governing body. But when Finn opened the door, Lana’s smile slowly faded.  


“T-4 should’ve delivered your clothes last night for today’s events.”  


Finn looked around at his small crew, including the Wookiee who was loudly protesting being awake at such an early hour. Rey was in her typical beige wraps and a hide vest that squared her shoulders. Her lightsaber in it’s clip on her hip. Rose did change from her mechanic’s utility jumpsuit but into something she often wore on base that coincidentally mirrored Poe’s black pants and crispy white button down. Finn wore his typical get up: dark pants, white shirt and Poe’s gifted brown leather jacket.  


Sure, it wasn’t the glitz and glam Lana had delivered, but they were clean and well rested. Finn thought they looked pretty good.  


“Yes ma’am.” Rose said, as if she were trying to use her words carefully. “T-4 did. It was very generous of you.”  


“We didn’t plan this.” Rey quickly added.  


Finn turned to face Lana, softening his gaze so as to not insult their host. “We want to represent ourselves as we are-as we have been throughout all of this.”  


Lana nodded slowly, accepting his reason. “But you’ll wear the clothes we’ve chosen for tonight’s event?”  


“Absolutely.” Finn replied.  


“I think we’ll have to.” Rose assured her. “We definitely don’t have anything nice enough for a fancy party.”

  


Poe couldn’t remember a single thing he’d eaten over their morning meal. On top of what Rey told them the night before and the nerves rooting themselves in his chest, Poe was a little unfocused. Thankfully he paid enough attention to Lana’s rundown of the committee meeting plans before breakfast was over.  


“Introductions are in order.” the woman began. She had traded her white draped robes for a dark green set and a gold hair band that pushed back her hair and opened up her face. “They will want a run down of the victory over the First Order-” Lana nodded at Finn and Poe- “and any pertinent information you and your sources have gathered.”  


Finn nodded in confirmation. “Connix sent us over an entire data file last night.”  


“They will want reassurance of the fall of the Supreme Leader.” the woman looked at Rey who simply nodded and averted her eyes to her plate.  


“No decisions have to be made today.” Lana assured them, though that didn’t settle Poe’s anxiety much. “Think of today as a briefing. The first stepping stone.”  


And then they were following Lana Mothma onto a transport ship and zipping through the busy lanes of Coruscant air traffic, on their way to the old Galactic Senate Hall.  
Being in the air helped calm Poe’s nerves slightly. While Finn and Rose whispered to each other from their seats at the front and Chewy and the droids were upfront with Lana, Poe found himself moving to sit next to Rey.  


“Sleep okay?” he asked.  


“Not really.” she admitted. “As much as normal.”  


“What’s that supposed to mean?”  


Rey was quick to respond. “When you’ve fallen asleep permanently once before, it’s hard to get comfortable doing it temporarily.”  


Poe felt himself flinch at her words, the memory of their conversation form the night before surfacing to the front of his thoughts.  


No one could imagine that-dying and coming back to life knowing that at one point her soul had left her body. A prick of guilt ate at his thoughts. He would’ve never guessed because Rey was always so strong. Stubborn and thoughtful and strong. What he would give to calm her mind. To make her feel safe.  


“I wish…” he paused and let out a small sigh. He turned to look at her, hoping she understood the words he couldn’t find. Her bright eyes searched his for a brief moment. Before he could continue, before he could find the words to soothe her Lana stood from the front of the transport vessel. Her green robes swayed at her feet and she gestured for them to join her. “Here!”  


The Galactic Senate Hall was enormous and looked every bit pristine and polished as everything seemed on Coruscant. Lana quickly escorted them inside through a set of wide doors framed in gold. Those nerves returning to his mind, reminding him why they were here.  


The Senate floor was more like an auditorium, with pods creating rings that coiled nearly to the top of the dome. “We’ll not be meeting in here, but I figured you’d want to see it anyway.” Lana explained before taking them to a separate wing of the building. The room was large and there were already others seated around a long, large table. Most of them Poe didn’t recognize, but when they entered the room the group went silent, all eyes on them. The victorious warriors that set them free. 

  


Rey couldn’t keep track of all their names. The committee was made of various species and some of clearly experienced leaders and others that were new to their positions-similar to her friends. Lana graciously introduced everyone before the woman took the reins, that all business tone she held when speaking with them the day prior. Her fingers decorated with bands of gold and silver clanked on the table as she laid out a notepad and began.  


It all felt too fast. Rey could feel her pulse in her tightly clenched hands. Did Leia feel this way when the Empire fell and she was thrust into a life of politics? Rey wasn’t sure, but she knew the woman would be holding her own in a situation like this. The Jedi tried to catch her breath.  


Rey focused on her friends sitting in succession beside her. Rose and Chewy were mostly silent, chiming in here and there as they felt necessary. But everyone’s eyes were on the Generals who were detailing the final mission to destroy the First Order’s fleet. Finn was regalling on about the defected troopers and their stunt on the surface of the battleship, his eyes wide and his tone exuberant. He flailed his hands as he talked, that excitement lighting up his eyes. A small smile crept to Rey’s lips as she listened. She would’ve never guessed that this man she met on Jakku, the trooper turned fighter would become the proud General sitting before her now. But it fit him so well, and she knew that even in his elder years Finn would be retelling this story again and again with that same amount of pride and excitement.  


Beside him, Poe recounted the arrival of Lando and the fleet of fighters from all around the galaxy, that proud smile touching his features when the others around the table interjected that pilots from their homes were a part of that massive collection. “We couldn’t have done it without Calrisian and those brave people who decided to fight for the cause.” Poe nodded, his curls bouncing with each tilt of his head. “They saw that hope that General Organa spread throughout the galaxy and answered her call.” A quiet came over the room at the mention of the late General’s name. Rey watched as the man ran a hand through those curls and rested a fist on the table. “It’s as much a thanks to them for believing in her. For believing in us. ”  


Rey could’ve sworn the force was swelling around her. As if Leia was present in that room, answering a silent call from everyone in the room wishing they could thank her. If only Rey could hug her one last time. Could see her force spirit who left her on Tatooine.  


The air felt warm on her skin or maybe it was the way the others were nodding in agreement to the General’s final sentiment. Or the way that his deep eyes rose to meet hers.  


“And the Supreme Leader?” Lana cut the silence, referring to her notes before appealing to the woman sitting at the end of the table. Rey felt everyone’s eyes on her, the expectation in their gaze. A mix of fear and hope and curiosity. Rey inhaled and unclenched her hands.  


“Dead.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I hope you're enjoying this fic!   
> As I mentioned before, this is a slowwww burn, but I think we've all waited long enough so I'm going to start working on the romantic elements within these next few chapters. 
> 
> I hope you are all staying safe and sane. Happy Reading!


	10. You Both Deserve a Good Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright you guys, I just wanted to give you a heads up before reading this chapter. 
> 
> Typically, I'm more of a plot-driven writer but I wanted to try something different (a little more light hearted and fun) for this chapter. Ch 10 shows the crew getting ready for the celebration hosted by Lana and the other potential political members. If you're here for some light getting-ready content, then you should like the whole chapter. But if you're really only looking for important plot points, then you'll only need to read the first part (Poe's POV) of this chapter.  
> Either way, I really hope you enjoy it. :)  
> Happy Reading!

  
  


“A speech?” Poe said, dumbfounded. Those nerves pricked at his neck again as Lana stood across from him and his co-General.  


“Well, sort of. As the leaders of the Rebellion, and the future of the galaxy, it’s pretty obvious that people will expect you to speak.” she was smiling, as if this were just another simple task like signing a document or smiling for a holophoto like he watched her do just hours before. Poe had an inkling that Lana Mothma called those photographers and reporters on her own accord; a sign to the galaxy of swift camaraderie or maybe a signal boost for herself. Doesn’t matter. She was the one doing all of those things, quick things. A speech? That’s a whole different story.  


“We haven’t even had time to prepare.” Poe replied. Thankfully Rey and Rose and Chewy were already heading back inside of the ridiculously tall building to retreat to their rooms after that not so brief briefing. They wouldn’t have to see the unease in their leader, their General.  


“Just think of it like a rousing pep talk. Like when you talked to your crew before going into battle.” Lana nodded in encouragement. In expectancy.  


“This isn’t like going into battle.” Poe countered through slightly gritted teeth. A gala filled with hundreds of people dressed to the nines, sipping on champagne and posing for holos was definitely _not _like battle. More like a recreation of the nightly scene on Canto Bight.  
__

__Lana’s expression faltered slightly and Poe felt his friend wrap an arm about his shoulders and squeeze tightly. “We’ll say a few words.” Finn smiled and only turned to escort Poe toward the building's entrance when Lana nodded again in satisfaction.  
_ _

__The steel-lined doors of an elevator closed behind them and Finn punched in the code to their floor. Poe could feel the pull under his feet and let out a sigh.  
_ _

__“Hey man, it’s gonna be alright.” Finn patted his back.  
_ _

__Poe however, was not feeling as confident. “Did you hear them in that meeting? Talking as if we are going to be the guiding politicians that the galaxy needs.” he wiped the back of his hand across his brow to remove the small beads of sweat. “Laws and treaties and a new galactic democratic order. I’m a General. _We_ are Generals. Leaders of the Rebellion against tyranny. Not soldiers in suits and robes discussing policies and signing paperwork.”  
__

__Poe watched as Finn considered his words, his jaw set slightly and the skin pinching between his brows. “What else did you expect once the war ended?” his friend asked.  
_ _

____

____

___The ding of the elevator ended the conversation and the two men walked out into a gleaming hall of purples and silver decor and toward their guest apartment. Finn’s words echoed against Poe’s skull.  
_ _ _

___What did he expect?  
_ _ _

___Poe always hoped the war would end someday. That’s what he fought for day in and day out. Someday, when he was through with flying and the thrill of battle, or maybe gone because of it. But he never expected to be left in charge once it was over. That elusive someday snuck upon him and named him a leader in a new political order.  
_ _ _

___General Dameron fit him, the title he silently strived for under Leia’s watchful gaze and direction. But what would he be now that he was being promoted in a novel structure of galactic democracy?  
_ _ _

___Senator Dameron?  
_ _ _

___Chancellor Dameron?  
_ _ _

___He shuddered at the thought.  
_ _ _

___Before they reached the apartment doors, Finn spun and placed both palms on Poe’s shoulders. Dameron held his friends' strong, comforting gaze as Finn spoke. “Look, tonight is a celebration. We’ve earned that. You, me, Rey and Rose and Chewy.”  
_ _ _

___“Especially Chewy.” Poe added.  
_ _ _

___Finn’s lips turned up into a smile, his grip on Poe’s shoulders relaxing slightly. “Yeah. Especially Chewy. We’ll get up there, we’ll say a few things, make the people happy. But do me a favor alright?”  
_ _ _

___“Uh?” Finn’s suggestion sounded great so far, but Poe caught that slight raising of one of his eyebrows and the knowing look in his eyes.  
_ _ _

___“We’re going to get dressed up. We’re going to drink and smile and celebrate. And you’re finally going to spend some time with Rey and not talk about war or the Falcon.”  
_ _ _

___“What’s that supposed to mean?” Poe argued as Finn dropped his hands and paused before opening the door.  
_ _ _

___“You both deserve a good time.” Finn wiggled those thick brows. “Maybe you can find it in each other.”  
_ _ _

___A sputtered refute danced on Poe’s lips but Finn was already sauntering through the door and it was all Poe could do to hide the reddening of his ears as he followed him inside._ _ _

___  
_ _ _

  


The water was too hot on Coruscant, nearly scalding Rey’s skin as she stepped into the shower. It reminded her of the sand burns she would get on Jakku before she found enough fabric to fashion her protective scavenging outfit. Rose must’ve left it at that temperature when she’d taken her shower just a few minutes before but Rey turned the knob almost completely in the opposite direction and immediately felt relief at the cold chill running down her back.  


It was rare to take a leisurely shower and two in two days felt down right glutinous, but Lana’s emphasis on looking their best for this gala was apparent during their morning meeting. Which meant Rey could spoil herself with a second shower and use those sweet smelling soaps on her hair again.  


She worked slowly, making sure to scrub the roughness of her elbows and lather the suds into her scalp. After a long morning of discussing politics and revisiting the memories of her battle between Kylo and Palpetine, Rey was grateful for the sliver of silence and privacy. Besides, after this celebration where she would be introduced as the remaining trained Jedi, the girl who defeated the Supreme Leader and his Sith master, privacy was going to be just a word she used to know.  


“Rey!” Rose’s voice was muffled against the water and the closed door. “Hurry up!”  


“Fine, fine.” Rey muttered and turned off the water. She wrapped a towel around her scrubbed skin and gathered her hair in a twist to ring out as much water as she could before wrapping a second towel around her head. When she opened the door, Rose was standing in the small space between her room and Rey’s, clad only in a pair of undergarments.  


“I need your help.” Rose huffed. “This dress Lana sent up is a pain to put on.”  


“Just a second.” Rey slipped past her and pushed the door to her room so it was almost completely closed. She hadn’t even taken a look at her own clothing supplied by their host, but considering the lux of Lana’s own day wear, Rey was sure it was going to be beautiful and completely out of her element.  


The Jedi tossed her towel on her bed and quickly slipped on her sleepwear, remembering that they would get Rose ready first and then tend to Rey after. She re-opened the door, crossed between the small hall connecting her room to Rose’s and stepped inside. The mechanic was blow drying her hair, twirling dark strands around her finger so the twists framed her face. She’d already applied black ink to create small wings on her eyelids and Rey could see the shimmer that dusted her cheekbones.  


“Lana sent up some stuff, in case you want to use it.” Rose pointed toward the dresser where compacts of color and bottles and tubes were scattered about. She joined Rey as the girl inspected them carefully.  


“I, uh-” Rey could feel the heat creeping up her neck. She’d never done any of this before. The fancy dressing, the sparkles, any of it. Rey’s life was always sand and scraps before it was war and death and training and victory. There was no time in between for appearances and parties.  


But Rose was quick to dip her fingers into the different pots and start tapping lightly on Rey’s face. The light sunburn on her nose suddenly hidden, a slight blush to her cheeks she’d never seen before.  


“My sister and I used to get into our mom’s colors when we were kids.” Rose smiled at the memory and finished applying a light layer of gold shine to Rey’s cheekbones, similar to her own.  


“You’re mum had things like this?” Rey asked as she examined Rose’s delicate work applied to her own face.  


“A long, long time ago.” Rose nodded and closed the pot. “She would paint her lips this really pretty peach color every morning. My sister tried to do it for me once. You ever color outside the lines? It was like that.” The mechanic chuckled slightly before pulling out a zipped up bag hanging from the closet by the bed and turned to Rey.  


“Putting this on is a two person job.” Rose grimaced and unzipped the garment bag, a black fabric flowing out from it. 

  


Rose admired herself in the mirror, a little bit of awe mixed in with the excitement bubbling inside her chest. Lana had great taste.  


The dress fit her perfectly; the length just right making Rose look much taller than she actually was and the flints of red gems that cascaded to the hem sparkled against the overhead lights. Thank kriff Rey was there to lace up the back and create a simple bow just at the small of her back, otherwise Rose was sure the fabric would’ve bunched against the cutouts that exposed her spine.  


Lana had provided accessories, but Rose didn’t have anything to put into a bag and didn’t care for any of the jewels in the small velvet lined boxes. She pressed against the pendant that rested against the dip in her neck and stole another glance at herself before feeling content. That, and the creeping excitement at what Finn would think of her in that dress; of what he would look like dressed up for a night out.  


“Rey, we need to go!” she called after Chewy roared from behind their wing door. “The boys had to leave early so we’ll meet them there. Chewy’s waiting!”  


“Fine! Ready!” Rey called back and stepped out from her room, nearly stumbling on the fabric at her feet. The girl straightened, her hair slicked back away from her face and pulled into a high ponytail, her long inches falling straight down toward the center of her shoulder blades. She held up her arms to give sort of a shrug. “Well?”  


Rose took in the dark green hue of the slick gown, noticing the high neckline that created an elegant collar and exposed her shoulders. The fabric seemed light, but like her own dress, didn’t crease with movement. Rather, it hugged at Rey’s frame and pooled at her feet. When she spun, Rey’s back was exposed much like her own.  


“It’ll do.” Rose winked and Rey’s shoulders released their tension. A roar and pounding on the door caused them both to jump. “Alright, Chewy!”


	11. Just One More Night

  


Finn hadn’t felt this good in...well since they defeated the First Order. But a different kind of good. The man in the reflection of the speeder looked charming, buttoned up in a completely black suit, black button up shirt and slim tie to match. Two gold clasps etched with the Rebel Alliance symbol weighed down his collar, his cufflinks on each wrist exactly the same. The twists of his hair gently bounced against his forehead. He looked _good _. Better yet, he_ felt good _.  
__

___He looked like a leader.  
_ _ _

___Beside him, Poe was still red-eared after their conversation outside the suite door just a few hours before. Finn noticed that same redness creeping up his friend’s neck, just where his own suit collar buttoned with identical collar pins. Poe opted for his white button down rather than the all black attire Lana had provided, but Finn liked the change. They were the two Generals of the Rebellion, partners different in their own respect.  
_ _ _

___Finn tried not to smirk or snicker every time Poe opened his mouth to say something, Poe’s mind obviously still reeling at Finn’s insinuation but the man would immediately close it and huff a sigh. Frustrated, defeated and in Finn’s mind, comically hopeless because his co-General knew that he was right.  
_ _ _

___Everyone needed this night and Finn was damned if he wasn’t going to allow himself to have some fun. Who knows, maybe after this they’d be swamped between managing the Rebel’s still stationed on Ajan Kloss and helping to build a new galactic democracy. That and training with Rey. Finn made a mental note to bring that up again tomorrow before pushing it into another compartment in his brain. Because after all the toasts and speeches and whatever else Lana had planned, Finn just wanted to enjoy himself a little while he still could.  
_ _ _

___The slowing of the speeder broke his thoughts as they approached the marbled building where the event was to be held. Dusk was starting to fall in the distance, but with the amount of lights pointed on the wide staircase that led to the pillar framed entrance it appeared more like midday. The speeder’s droid pulled into the succession of vehicles and from their position they could see Lana standing at the bottom stair, greeting guests as they exited their rides.  
_ _ _

___“You ready?” Finn smiled brightly and watched as Poe convinced himself that he was.  
_ _ _

___“Yeah.” Poe inhaled then said with more conviction. “Yeah. Yeah, I am.”  
_ _ _

___The two men stood and the speeder’s glass dome retracted, allowing them to step out onto the large platform. The bustling from the crowd inside floated out of the wide open doors and Finn felt the excitement building in his chest. “Time for a kriffing party.”_ _ _

___  
_ _ _

Finn’s excitement was contagious.  


As they approached Lana at the foot of the grand stairs, Poe could feel the tension uncoiling in his chest, in his shoulders and even in his hands as he unclenched his fists. Finn was right; they deserved tonight and everything else could wait for that elusive _later _. All of the expectations, all of the unknown, even the secrets between his friends, it could all be dealt with later. At least for just one more night.  
__

__He patted his coat pocket for the scrap of paper he’d scribbled some notes on for his and Finn’s speech, shoved Finn’s echoing comment from hours ago to the back of his mind and greeted Lana with what he hoped was a smile.  
_ _

__“Generals.” she grinned and then nodded at their suits. “I’m glad they fit. You clean up well.”  
_ _

__The two murmured their thanks and similar sentiments as Lana waved over her droid, T-4. The gold fabric cape that hung from her shoulders rippled slightly in the wind. The woman looked even more elegant than she did before, and Poe wasn’t sure that was entirely possible. Lana swiped her auburn locks to drape down one shoulder, the gold bangles on her wrist glinting against the light.  
_ _

__“Mr. Calrissian and his guest as well as Commander Connix all arrived safely.” the woman turned to her silver plated droid, taking the fluted glasses filled with bubbling liquid and passed one to Poe and then Finn. “T-4, please escort the generals in through the side entrance.” She turned back to the two men. “I’ll meet you there shortly. The line seems to be wrapping up and then we can begin with the speeches, toasts, news-worthy bits. When the Jedi, Mr. Chewbacca and Ms. Tico arrive, they will join you.”  
_ _

__The woman nodded then turned her attention to an approaching guest, dismissing the Generals. She was so quick to do that, hold and require anyone's attention when she needed it but move on so quickly to the next. Maybe that’s what it took to work in politics, constantly bouncing from one conversation to the next. Lana managed it so well, she made it look easy. Poe brought the flute to his lips and drained it before following the droid toward the side of the building.  
_ _

__“Well then.” Finn mimicked him, both of their glasses empty and a lightness spreading in Poe’s chest.  
_ _

__“Yeah, buddy.”_ _

__  
_ _

The line of traffic was too long for Rey. It gave her time to think and thinking wasn’t what she needed to be doing right now, or she’d retreat so far into her mind that she’d be just another statue at this event. But the quiet in the speeder allowed her mind to wander, the handwritten text of Cal Kestis's pages circulating in her thoughts, his heeds and warnings enveloped in stories of the rise of Vader and his inquisitors, laced with lessons to be taught to...Rey wasn’t entirely sure.  


“Hey.” Rose snapped a finger in front of Rey’s nose and the Jedi blinked back into focus. “Man, you really do zone out.”  


“Sorry.” Rey apologized and straightened, surprised by how easy it was to move in the fancy dress. “Just thinking about the chapters.” she admitted and craned her neck to see how much farther it was until they reached the building’s entrance. Seeing they still had plenty of speeders in front of her, Rey turned her attention to her friend.  


Rose’s nose was scrunched up, her dark eyes narrowed at Rey and she chewed at the inside of her lip. Rose’s thinking face. Rey had seen it plenty of times, while trying to make yet another repair on the Falcon or hum over a plan before taking down General Hux, Kylo Ren and the First Order. It was usually aimed at putting together a puzzle, fixing something to make it run better or-in the Falcon’s case-run at all. But Rey could feel the mild frustration, the hesitation radiating from her friend and she had a feeling that whatever Rose was thinking about, it was about fixing her.  


Rey couldn’t hold her gaze any longer. “What is it?”  


That was all the invitation Rose needed because her features returned to normal and she reached to hold Rey’s hands in her own. “I mean this in the nicest way possible, but can you turn off being a Jedi-just for tonight?”  


Rey pulled back her hands. “I can’t just turn this on and off, you think-”  


Rose held her hands up in surrender and Rey bit her tongue. “Wrong way of putting it.” Rose folded her hands together in her lap, took a breath and tried again. “What I mean is, tonight should be fun. Aside from all the bureaucracy in the beginning, we’re essentially attending a party. _A fancy party _. I don’t know about you, but I sure haven’t ever been to anything like this in my life.”  
__

____

____

Rey could only shake her head no, though she knew where her friend was going with this. And more than anything, she knew she was right.  


“So, after we’re recognized as war heroes and they clap for all the work we did to save the galaxy, let’s just _be _. Let’s have drinks, let’s eat and dance, let’s enjoy it all and let’s wait for everything else-until at least tomorrow.”  
__

____

____

Rey pulled at her ponytail, smoothing it’s length in her hand and let Rose’s words sink in. _Until tomorrow _. How many months, maybe years, had it been since Rey realized her nature, her connection to the force? How long had it been since she wasn’t Rey the Jedi but just Rey who lived and laughed and didn’t have to worry about training and could allow herself to enjoy something? She couldn’t remember because even on Jakku, it was just living to survive. Rose was right and Rey knew it because Rey wanted it. And though her saber was still readily available in Chewy’s satchel, Rey wanted the fun and excitement that the night promised. And for maybe the first time in her life, she was giving herself permission to take it.  
__

__Rey straightened again, meeting Rose’s eyes and trying to restrain the smile already spreading on her face. “You’re right. Absolutely right.” Rey clasped a hand in her friends, thankful for Rose’s energetic laugh.  
_ _

__“Thank kriff.” Rose wiped her brow in fake relief. “Besides, I’m ready to see Finn in a suit and spend the night with that man in my arms and I can’t be doing all that if I see you’re not having any fun.”  
_ _

__Rey nearly blushed at Rose’s comment, the mechanic finally admitting what everyone-except maybe Poe-suspected all along. “So, it’s official?” Rey asked.  
_ _

__“I don’t know about all that, but I don’t think we were really trying to hide it either. Well, maybe sometimes.”  
_ _

__“The Falcon isn’t that big.” Rey nudged Rose with her shoulder and the other girl laughed, a sound mixed with pride and maybe a little bit of sheepishness.  
_ _

__“Well you know, since Finn will be keeping me company, you might find yourself some, too.” Rose’s voice was a little quiet as their speeder finally approached the concrete platform. Rey stood to collect herself, hoping the heat creeping up her neck wasn’t noticeable. Though all hope was lost when Rose winked, “Maybe another General, perhaps?”_ _


	12. Their Hope is Your Hope

Lana was quick to greet and direct Rey, Rose and Chewy once they exited their speeder and the trio followed her silver protocol droid in through a set of side glass doors to their waiting area. As they entered, Rey didn’t know where to look. Thick white fabric draped from the ceiling creating soft woven patterns that reminded Rey of clouds. Gold chandeliers rained down from the ceiling drawing the attention to the pristine marbled walls, then to the green velvet couches with fluffed pillows and down to the shining floor lined with intricately designed rugs. And this was just their holding area, so Rey couldn’t imagine what the gala hall looked like.  


The Jedi took a sip from her fluted glass and followed Chewy and Rose into the center of the room. She recognized those inside from their meeting just that morning, but now even more elegantly dressed, some with what appeared to be crowns, pins or sashes that marked their ranks. The amount of money and class in the room should have intimidated Rey, but her gaze led her to the ultimate distraction.  


Sitting on the couch against the far wall, Finn and Poe were laughing, shaking hands with the representative from the planet Fedalle and replacing their empty glasses with freshly poured sparkling liquid. “Look at our boys.” Rose hummed and looped an arm in Rey’s as they began their approach.  


Finn looked handsome, the gold complimenting the light in his eyes, and his happiness was radiating out around him threatening to pull in anyone within his radius. Poe looked...Rey couldn’t find the words. His hair was still a little damp, the curls a wonderful mess on top of his head that looked soft enough to touch. There was a slight shadow lining his jaw despite his attempt at a cleanly shaven face just the day before but Rey liked it; it fit him, made him look like a man with a plan rather than just the fly boy of the Resistance. Rey could feel the waves of his laughter from a distance, and for the first time in a while, it felt genuine, reaching up to his eyes framed by soft lines under those thick brows. Lana’s droids must have accurate measuring sensors because even sitting down, Rey could tell that suit fit him beautifully, hemmed in all the right places and pressed and folded to perfection.  


When the two finally noticed their friends approaching, Rey couldn’t ignore the surprise in their eyes, the slight gaping of their lips and she had to hide her smirk as they struggled to clear their throats and stand to welcome them.  


“Kriff.” Finn huffed, that goofy smile stretching across his face. “You both look amazing.” He smoothed out his coat before clasping Rose’s hand in his own. Chewy whined a roar and Finn slapped a raised hand on the Wookiees shoulder. “Yeah, yeah, Chew. You look wonderful, too.”  


But Rey wasn’t really paying attention to their friends' playfulness and Chewy’s satisfied quips, not when Poe was staring at her as if he were admiring a piece of art.  


“Nice suit, General.” Rey smiled, noting the small touches of his outfit, like the collar pins branding him with the Resistance.  


“Absolutely beautiful.” he managed, nodding toward her and Rey watched as he allowed himself a slow gaze from the hem of her dress all the way to the muted shimmer of her cheeks and subtle color swiped across her eyes. Rey was reluctant to admit, but she liked the way she felt as Poe’s eyes navigated her frame, the hoarse edge to his words. But before she was able to respond, Lana’s voice echoed against the walls.  


“My friends! I believe we’ve kept our guests waiting long enough.” she smiled and waved her arms, requesting that the small group join her in the center of the room. And so, Rey followed suit, joining the semicircle that framed Lana Mothma. The woman tugged at the gold fabric rippling around her ankles then clasped her hands in front of her, those green eyes meeting everyone’s gaze. A small smile rested on Lana’s face before she began again.  


“Tonight, we begin anew. Our galaxy has suffered enough, over decades from the rise of the Empire to the return of darkness and the oppression of the First Order. But tonight,” she paused, accepting a glass from a servant droid’s tray and raising it before her, “tonight we unite for our people, all people of the galaxy. May we celebrate to honor those we’ve lost and to embrace what is to come. To new beginnings.”  


“To new beginnings!” Rey and her friends responded with the likes of the others and she finished the remaining champagne in her glass before placing it on an empty tray and following the small group toward the set of doors that would lead them to the main hall of the celebration.  


Maybe it was because of the smiles and visible excitement from those around her, or maybe it was the alcohol allowing her to relax but either way Rey could feel the atmosphere shift. Even despite her own skepticism, and the skepticism her friends shared, there was definitely a lightness spreading that she could not ignore. Around her, the force swelled in blissful intoxication. Rey knew that a small part of her would always have to be on guard, no matter how much allowance she gave herself, it was just in her nature. But tonight, she could feel no threat, no ominous presence or thought brewing from anyone in the entire building and she realized that as much as she needed this, as much as Poe and Finn, Chewy and Rose and all of the Resistance fighters needed this, the galaxy needed this too. Maybe not the fancy party persay, as the population of guests were most likely among the highest paying from their homeworlds. But the citizens of the galaxy needed this, a sign that change was real, _good change _. And that it was welcoming them with open arms.  
__

__As they stepped out onto the low stage, Rey breathed in the open space and admired the large crowd that was scattered about the auditorium. Her hunch was right: the place was decorated in the likes of elegance and expense. The high domed ceiling was trimmed in gold and lined with rolled parchment tied with gold rope. The floors shined with polish and droids carrying trays of full drinks roamed through the mess of guests. Around the perimeter was long tables filled with food, more food than Rey had ever seen in her life. Her stomach grumbled at the sight of steaming vegetables and frosted treats. Round tables encompassed with chairs were spaced out on the left side of the room, leaving the remaining space to be open for people to traverse and (most likely) dance later on in the evening. Floral arrangements hung from the walls and dotted the tables. A second smaller stage was tucked into a corner where humanoids in crisp suits held instruments of all kinds.  
_ _

__Rey followed suit as Lana helmed the podium at the front of the stage, lining up to be shoulder to shoulder with Poe and Rose on either side of her, Finn to Poe’s right and Chewy next to him. The politicians from the meeting this morning stood together on the opposite side of the stage, each party creating wings behind Lana Mothma. Rey spotted Lando Calrisian, Jannah and Commander Connix, nodding as they waved to their friends on the stage. The crowd took notice and began to approach the stage’s frame, quieting down as Lana smiled patiently.  
_ _

__“Welcome everyone.” Lana began as holo-cameras flashed from the sidelines. “Tonight we begin mending our galaxy from wrath and destruction inflicted by the First Order. No longer will the citizens of every planet in every rim concern themselves with the fear the Supreme Leader ruled with until his dying day.” A few cheers in the crowd allowed for Lana to pause before she collected herself to begin once more. Rey watched as she raised her hands, palms toward the ceiling, as if in offering. “But before we begin tonight's celebrations, let us pay our respects to those we lost in the fight for freedom.”  
_ _

__At Lana’s word, the dozen of rolled parchments hanging from the base of the domed ceiling unfurled. Long banners rolled out nearly to the floor, each beautifully painted with the faces that Rey knew too well. A notably younger Luke Skywalker, the artists reference most likely from Luke’s last public appearance, was the first to catch Rey’s eye. The Jedi standing proud in his robes, a lit saber held off to his side with the tip pointing at the ground. Next to him, Admiral Akbar in his signature white uniform followed by Snap Wexley in an orange flight suit, Amilyn Holdo with her lavender hair and other high ranking Resistance leaders the public recognized by name. Han Solo’s smirk hovered over the crowd, that same mischievous look in his eyes despite the age that painted his feature, his medal of honor hung around his neck. And finally Leia Organa, painted in a high collared cape, the Rebel Alliance symbol pinned into its fabric, the General looking exactly as Rey remembered her, that same soft smile encouraging her even now.  
_ _

__Some cheered in the crowd, others dabbed at their eyes with white squares of fabric, everyone taking time to spin about the room, admiring each face. Rey closed her eyes, inhaling through her nose, allowing herself to stretch out her feelings, inviting the emotions of gratefulness, sorrow and overall hope from the crowd to flood her senses. But amid all of it, Rey could also feel the heat of frustration spreading through Poe’s core._ _

__  
_ _

Poe wasn’t listening to a damn thing Lana Mothma was saying.  


Once those banners unfurled and the people in the crowd began to finally appreciate the faces of the Resistance fighters and leaders they lost, Poe had to fight the temptation to turn on the heel of his shiny black shoes and leave for good.  


_Only now that the fighting is over, that the war and bloodshed and loss is finally over do these people give a kriff about it all. Where were they three months ago when we were dead on our asses, begging for help and still getting up every day to fight this war? But now they’re here to listen? Banthashit _.  
__

__Poe ran a calloused hand over his face, hardly registering that Lana was stepping from her podium and that man from Fedalle began his speech. He caught Lando eyeing him, the elder’s purple cape swaying softly as Calrissian raised a hand to his chest.  
_ _

_Breathe, my boy _. The General could nearly hear the man’s reminder as if he were saying it in his own ear. And so Poe did, knowing it was the only thing he could do at the moment. As he inhaled through his nose, and counted to four, Poe allowed his gaze to travel through the crowd, his eyes stopping on a familiar looking Twi’lek. Right, a pilot named Freyna who’s transport ship escorted the Rebellion fighters back to Ajan Kloss after their victory. A few paces over, Zindal, a pilot from Lexrul who had patted him on the back and offered kind words after Leia’s memorial just days before. All throughout the crowd, Poe’s eyes found familiar faces from their final battle against the First Order and with each one, the anger in him dissipating until it was a low, dull hum, one he barely noticed.  
__

___These were the people that came when called, that believed in what Leia preached for, what Leia based her entire life’s work on. These were the people who chose to stand up to make life better for everyone else in the room-in the galaxy, for those who couldn’t fight or were too afraid to get their hands dirty. And when he and Finn were introduced to speak, Poe knew that the few words of empty sentiment he’d scribbled on that paper weren’t going to cover it. Maybe they weren’t the General’s the people expected, even Poe had his doubts about that. But he was determined to remind them of what was so that they could build what was to come.  
_ _ _

___Poe was grateful that Finn volunteered to speak first, introducing them and motioning to Rey and Rose and Chewy from where they stood on the stage, following with uplifting words that sounded like they belonged in Poe’s old academy history texts. When Finn inched to the right a little, Poe stood at the podium and placed his palms against the marbled top. Then he lifted a hand, his finger pointing to each banner hung around the large room.  
_ _ _

___“Their hope is your hope.” he began.  
_ _ _

___“Their fight was our fight. Their sacrifice means your freedom,_ our freedom _. Countless others who risked their lives, ones whose names you would not recognize but deserve the same respect,” he paused and placed his hand back down, “is what allows us to be here tonight. And I cannot, we cannot thank them enough, for the chance to rebuild.” A few cheers of agreement echoed through the large group among the flashing of holo-cameras.  
___

___Poe took a moment to straighten, to turn and look at Finn whose pride radiated in his gaze. To then turn to the leaders they met with in the conference hall then to Chewbacca, to Rose and finally, to Rey. He locked his gaze with hers, registering the surprise in her hazel eyes mixed with something he couldn’t quite name. A small smile and nod encouraged him to turn back to look at the crowd once more. “Let us learn from them, let us learn from each other and unite the galaxy to create the future we all deserve.”_ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, I've been working on this chapter for hours now and I couldn't wait to post it!  
> I hope you're enjoying it so far :)
> 
> Happy Reading!


	13. ‘Bout time.

  
  


Poe had always been a passionate speaker, a beacon for those down on their luck or who were quickly losing hope. He was good at it, too. Especially since Leia saw that in him before anyone else did, and let him be that voice to those in the Resistance. The reminder of why they were fighting, that all was not lost.  


But that. That was something different. The strain in his words emphasizing his honor to everyone who fought, his sentiments for the future lingering in the room long after he was finished speaking. And Rey felt all of it. That frustration that had morphed into passion and hope and determination...it filled Rey up and threatened to swallow her whole.  


Poe had changed.  


Not changed. Poe had grown, had evolved. Found his place, found himself.  


Rey liked it.  


Lana returned to the podium, offering a few final words before releasing the crowd to enjoy the night. Then the political members and Resistance fighters walked single off stage to join the others on the gala floor. Rey could feel the lingering heat from Poe who walked behind her, his body noticeably close to her as they descended the small set of stairs and joined the crowd. Lando, Jannah and Kaydel Connix rushed to meet them.  


“Hell of a speech.” Lando smacked Finn and Poe on the backs and offered each a firm handshake.  


Rose joined Finn’s side, talking with Jannah. The defected trooper looked stunning in a simple black dress, her curls pushed out of her face by a silver hairpiece. Lando looked his usual part, cape and all but Connix, Rey had never seen the Commander in anything but her utility jumpsuit around whatever base they occupied. Her blonde hair, which was usually up and out of her face, rained down to her shoulders with single pins on either side of her temples. She wore a gown that Rey immediately recognized as one of General Organa’s. A beautiful royal blue with capped shoulders and a ribbon around her middle to cinch the dress to her frame. Kaydel must’ve taken notice of Rey’s gaze.  


“I didn’t have anything else.” she quickly defended. “I found her wardrobe in her quarters and thought…”  


Rey placed a palm on the Commander’s arm, sliding it down to hold the woman’s hand in her own. “She would have wanted you to wear it.” Rey smiled and Kaydel sighed in relief. “You look wonderful.”  


Commander Connix nodded her thanks before the group wandered over to the tables of food and filled their plates.  


Rey couldn’t help herself. Everything nearly made her mouth water. Spices filled her nose as she took servings of roasted vegetables and a hearty helping of an orange colored soup. She took her time wandering about the selection, looking over each table’s spread, adding scoops of this and that to her dinner. Trays of steaming bread fresh from the oven caught her attention and she had to stop herself from piling up rolls onto her already full plate.  


Everyone else had quickly filled their plates and found a large round table to sit and enjoy their meals. As Rey approached she saw two empty seats, one next to Chewy and another next to a certain rugged General. He was watching as she approached, a small smirk on his face. A single dark eyebrow raised. He tilted his head to the empty chair beside him, a quick gesture just for her.  


Rose would insist that Poe had planned this, had made sure no one sat to his left, Rey was sure. But at the moment, the Jedi couldn’t care less. His gravity was too strong to ignore, and she thanked him when he pulled out the chair for her as she rounded the table to join him.  


The group was already laughing and talking amongst themselves, Chewy and Lando telling stories to Rose and Finn. Jannah and Connix savoring the food and gazing around the room, commenting on the different outfits and luxuries people donned for the event. But since the moment Rey sat down, Poe’s attention never left her. 

  


“You know, you’re too good at giving speeches.” Rey commented as she took another bite of her meal. Poe raised an eyebrow.  


“Too good?” he said, and turned his shoulders so he was facing her.  


“How can someone be too good at speaking?”  


“Because no one can follow you up!” the woman said, but there was a hint of playfulness in her words. “I’m glad Lana gave me the option of speaking and that I turned her down. I can’t compete with that.”  


She was smiling, really smiling, where the joy met her eyes and scrunched up her nose a little. The serious Jedi that Poe had come to know wasn’t sitting beside him now. That weight of responsibility she carried wasn’t crushing her anymore, instead she felt more... _free _. More alive in a way. Poe wondered if she’d always been this way, maybe the war and the come and go hadn’t let him really see this side of her. Either way, she was here now beside him with a smile on her face and close enough to him that he could smell the light floral scent of the oil she’d dotted behind her ears and rubbed on her wrists. Truth be told, Poe wanted her closer.  
__

__Music had started to fill the room, the band on the corner stage creating light and uplifting rhythms and melodies. Poe held up two fingers to a passing servant droid who quickly returned with two glasses filled with champagne. The General passed one along to Rey before taking one for himself.  
_ _

__“Shall we toast?” Lando held up his own glass and raised his chin. Everyone around the table followed suit.  
_ _

__“Oh, I’ll start!” Jannah said and held her glass a little higher. “To new friends.” She met everyone’s gaze around the table. Beside her, Connix cleared her throat.  
_ _

__“To a warm meal with family.”  
_ _

__So they went around the table, each proclaiming their toast, until Lando was the last to speak. “To tonight.” he declared, that suave tone of his keeping everyone with their glass raised as he paused. “We all deserve a little fun.”_ _

____

____

  


“Get a load of those two.” Rose nudged Finn as he took a spoonful of a rich chocolate dessert. She rolled her eyes and nodded across the table where Poe and Rey sat enveloped in their own conversation.  


“‘Bout time.” Finn mumbled with a hint of a smile on his lips and Rose couldn’t help but agree.  


It was no secret that Poe and Rey were the most serious and the most tightly-wound of them all. What with Poe wrestling with the weight of everything and only seeming to feel a little bit of relief when he was up in the air shooting at something. And Rey. Universe knows Rose didn’t understand what Rey was going through, almost none of them did, except maybe Finn once he figured out he shared the same force sensitivity. Regardless, both of them needed to get laid.  


“Ten credits says they kiss within the hour.” Rose challenged and Finn scoffed.  


“Twenty says they sneak out within forty-five minutes.” he countered.  


“You’re on.” Rose wiggled her brows and stood. “Now, let’s dance Mr. General.”


	14. Well Played.

  


The tables emptied quickly as upbeat tempos filled the air, inviting everyone to the open space in front of the stages. Rose and Finn were the first to entertain the floor, the General swinging his girlfriend around a bit, her laughter drawing attention as others joined them. Chewy and Lando made a point to visit other tables, talking up old friends and reminiscing about old card games and bets won and lost. It wasn’t until Connix and Jannah swiftly left the table to join their dancing friends that Rey realized she and Poe were the only ones left.  


“Look at them.” she smiled, nodding slightly to the center of the jumping and swaying crowd. Poe’s gaze followed hers.  


“Yeah, Finn really knows how to work a crowd.” the other General smiled as Finn led Rose, Jannah and Connix through a sequence of moves as the bass of the song kicked in.  


“They're just so...carefree.” the Jedi observed, a hint of jealousy tainting her tongue. Sure, they all had things that clouded their minds, the responsibilities that kept them putting one foot in front of the other. But just as heavy as those parts of their lives were, Finn and Rose, even the Commander and Jannah, seemed to know how to shed that armour just as easily as they claimed it.  


“I don’t think so.” Poe shook his head a little, still watching the crowd. “Maybe more like, 'Work hard to party hard'. They know when to let their guard down.”  


“Because we party so often.” Rey quipped, but she could get his gist. She just wished that she didn’t need that extra glass of bubbly to feel that same sentiment.  


“Well, Finn and Rose might.” Poe muttered and Rey nearly spit out her drink.  


Poe’s laugh was contagious, even through her fit of coughs. It dipped and crescendoed just like a song would, until he was wiping his eyes to catch a full breath. The lines around the corners of his eyes deepened, and Rey wondered if he got them from laughing just as hard, before she came around. Before the war and the stress and the loss became a normal part of the routine. She shook her head, the tip of her ponytail falling over her shoulder. _None of that. Not tonight _.  
__

____

____

“You know, they’re waiting for us to join. I could hear them making bets across the table.” Rey lifted an eyebrow toward the man. Poe leaned back resting an elbow on the back of his chair, a smug smirk painting his features.  


“Well then,” he stood with an air of confidence that Rey couldn’t ignore if she tried. She placed her hand in his, feeling the warmth spread to her fingertips as he led her toward the dance floor. “Let’s see who wins, shall we.”  


The music slowed slightly as they walked toward the crowd, a song meant more for swaying and fluid movements than for constant jumping. The hum of the bass radiated through Rey’s chest as Poe turned toward her, keeping her right hand in his left, his free palm pressing to the exposed skin on the small of her back. His warmth spread through her, more electric than heat leaving her nerves tingling at his touch.  


Thankfully, their height wasn’t as drastic as Finn and Rose’s, so rather than his chin meeting the top of her head, Rey only had to slightly incline her gaze to meet his. Those soft eyes under thick brows nearly pinned her to the spot but Poe was a good lead, rocking them gently to the melody. 

  


Poe typically felt lost, especially lately. When everything seemed to be tumbling together, his role as a General evolving and their travels to Bogano revealing more about his friends than he realized, Poe seemed to be struggling to keep up. He could be lost on the surface, knowing that when he was in the air behind the steering panel of his X-wing, that was his place-where he felt like he belonged most. But right now, with Rey’s hand in his, their bodies close together as they shared company with a song, Poe never felt more grounded.  


That sense of belonging he felt among the stars, Rey felt like that.  


Rey spun, her fingers locking in his as he pulled her close again, the song transitioning from a bass thumping beat to a swinging brass melody. He allowed his shoulders to relax a little, the heels of his shoes stepping a little faster against the shining floor.  


“You’re pretty good at this.” Rey commented, lifting her eyes to meet his.  


“Learned back on Kimji.” Poe shrugged, thinking of those parties with his Spice Running mates. They knew how to smuggle, sure. But those runners also knew a thing or two about fun and as an eighteen year old who grew up on quiet Yavin 4, young Poe really looked forward to the fun.  


“Ah, Zorii?”Rey raised an eyebrow, but Poe noticed that strain in her smile.  


“Jealous?” he teased and watched as her cheeks blushed. _Dammit _. He thought, feeling his pulse quicken. When she tried a nonchalant shrug, Poe pulled her closer, her chest pressing against his. “Ancient history.”  
__

____

____

He felt her relax at his words, though that challenge was still in her gaze. That fire she held deep within her soul. That drive and stubbornness that used to drive him crazy when she would go off training with Leia when he and Finn and Rose and Chewy would take the Falcon out on missions without her. Sure, it annoyed him then because it felt like looking in a mirror. But now, it felt more like a comfort. Her heat matching his. Her soft flame matching his rough spark.  


Rey leaned in a little closer, the tip of her nose getting dangerously close to his lips. “I can feel their eyes on us.” she whispered. Poe had to restrain himself to not turn toward his friends, to catch them wide-eyed and spying on him and Rey. But with her this close to him, the shimmer of her cheeks and the shine on her lips just inches from him, it wasn’t that hard to ignore the others.  


Stars, he wanted to kiss her.  


But the thought of an audience didn’t appeal to him. Whatever was happening between him and Rey, whatever had been growing between them over the past few weeks, he didn’t want to share it with everyone. Rey had enough attention on her for just being a Jedi, and honestly, Poe had his fair share being a General in the Resistance. Surely, pictures of the two of them dancing would be published in the holos later than night or even the next morning. But this, this felt more private.  


So when he leaned down to level his lips with her ear, Poe could feel Rey straighten against him. “There’s a balcony five floors up. Meet me there.”  


When he pulled away, Rey’s calm expression met his. Did he go too far? Was he reading into this and completely ruining whatever this was becoming? But she turned her head to each side, noticing the watchful gazes around them before meeting his eyes once more. Poe was close enough to see the corner of her lips pull slightly, the quick wink she gave him before walking away toward the back room they had entered from. She didn’t even turn back.  


_Well played _.__

__  
_ _

Once she passed through the set of doors and into the empty holding room she was in just a few hours before, only then did Rey allow herself to breath. She granted herself a few deep breaths, trying to slow down her racing heart, the pulse in her ears nearly muting her surroundings.  


She spied the set of elevator doors on the opposite side of the room, back where a few tables held used empty champagne glasses and rushed over to press the button. She hoped she would get there before him, knowing he wouldn’t take the same way out and up. It was smart, really. Her friends wanted a show, were placing bets on the two of them, but Poe wouldn’t let them have it and Rey was relieved. But more than that, the anticipation of being alone with him was just as nerve-wracking, just as exciting as dancing with him in front of hundreds of people was. As she entered the elevator, she could still detect the lingering scent of his cologne on her dress.  


_Get it together, Jedi _.  
__

__No wonder Rose was always smiling whenever she spent time with Finn. This giddy-feeling was new to Rey, but she could see how addicting it could be.  
_ _

__The doors closed and Rey wondered how Poe would get to the balcony. Maybe exit out the front down that wide grand staircase and find another elevator? If the bottom floor where the gala was taking place was any indication, the rest of the floors of the building would be just as massive. What if she went to the wrong balcony?  
_ _

__The elevator slowed, gravity restoring itself as the elevator came to a halt and the doors sliding open. She stepped out, the expansive sixth floor opening up before her to a wide hallway lined with silver-framed doors to what Rey assumed were offices or meeting halls. The lights weren’t on, but the wall opposite the closed doors was made entirely of glass and the city lights of Coruscant created an orange glow against the night sky. As Rey walked toward the middle of the hallway, the balcony came into view though it’s doors almost completely blended in with the glass wall. The only indication that there were doors at all were because of two rounded handles attached to the glass. As Rey placed her palm on one, the elevator at the opposite end of the hall dinged. Rey watched as Poe straightened his suit as the doors opened.  
_ _

__He stepped out, his gaze meeting hers as she paused to watch as he approached. He pushed at the second handle, the dry air rushing in through the doors. “After you.” he said quietly and Rey nodded her thanks, stepping out into the night.  
_ _

__In silence they stood beside each other, leaning against the railing of the balcony. Hundreds of feet below them, speeders were idling in a line outside of the gala venue. Light notes feathered up from the open doors of the celebration, blending with the distant noise of the city life.  
_ _

__It was comforting, the noise of the planet and its inhabitants circulating around them. Even though the two of them stood quietly beside each other, neither of them exactly sure of what to say, Rey still felt relaxed. So when Poe’s hand found hers, she laced her fingers around his.  
_ _

__“This place is so alive.” she said quietly. “But in a different way than Ajan Kloss, even Bogano.” When Poe turned to look at her, Rey kept her eyes on buildings that rose out before them and created rigid lines against the sky.  
_ _

__“Can you feel everything?” Poe asked.  
_ _

__It was an honest question, a question of curiosity, but Rey could also read between his words. He wasn’t asking just about the planet, about the force that swelled deep from it’s core or the steps of every creature living on its surface. Could she feel the quickening of his pulse, the excitement electrifying his nerves? Yes, when she focused on it. And it was hard not to focus on Poe Dameron.  
_ _

__“In a way.” she said and leaned closer so that her shoulder pressed against his. She pulled her hand away but spread her fingers across his palm so that it opened up toward the sky and traced the grooves and lines with her fingertips. “The force is in every living thing, in everything that ever is or ever was. It’s not like touch.” She pressed her hand firmly against his palm. “It’s not heavy like that. But more like a presence that’s always there.” she lessened the pressure of her hand and instead let her palm rest on top of his.  
_ _

__Rey turned to look at him finally, feeling his fingers curling between hers and resting gently against the back of her hand. The shadow of his beard was darker now, now that she was so close to him, and his gaze filled with intensity. It made her skin itch a little against the dry heat of the night.  
_ _

__She watched as he lifted his right hand to meet her, his thumb resting on her chin. Only when Rey closed her eyes did she feel the softness of his lips against hers, the roughness of his beard lightly scratching at her skin._ _

____  


Rey’s lips were like little pillows against his and Poe cursed himself for not feeling their warmth sooner. He let himself kiss her softly first, fighting the temptation to taste her, to press himself closer to her and move his hand from her chin into her hair. But he didn’t want to push it, didn’t want to rush whatever this was, because it was too good to ruin.  


So when Rey’s hand left his and found the back of his neck, Poe granted himself just that and deepened the kiss at her guidance.  


_Kriff _. How had he waited so long for this? For this light and intensity and joy? Poe wasn’t sure, but when Rey’s hands found his curls, he let his thoughts dissipate, giving Rey his sole attention.  
__

__That is, until the alarm from his comm link started to go off._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG Y'all!  
> We're finally in Damerey territory!  
> Thanks for sticking along for the slow burn. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and are looking forward to what's to come!


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